It started on Themyscira
by pauloblolo47
Summary: Batman crash lands on Themyscira where he meets a certain Amazon princess. He thens finds out an old enemy is approaching, and he needs to get his troops ready. Wonderbat all the way! No specific continuity or universe, just the characters you know and love.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Less than humble beginnings

Diana was bored.

She was pacing along the shore. Lost in her own head. Trying to think of something to do. Normally she would have been practicing with her sisters for the whole day, repeating combat drills, sparring, practicing archery…

But all that felt ludicrous to her now that the Gods had gifted her powers.

 _*FLASHBACK*_

Several months ago, the Amazons had received a visit from the six Goddess that watched over Themyscira: Hera, Aphrodite, Hestia, Artemis, Demeter and Athena. They had announced that a grave threat was going to befall the Earth, and to combat it the Amazons would have to send forth a champion into Man's World.

To no one's surprise, Diana was chosen by the Goddess to be their champion. She was the strongest Amazon among them as well as the queen's daughter. It only made sense.

Seeing that no one tried to protest the Goddess choice, the five of them had encircled Diana, each placing a hand on her body and in unison, had chanted a hymn in ancient greek. After several seconds, the Goddess moved away, all smiling at Diana. The latter, not wanting to be disrespectful had thanked the Goddess and bowed, despite being absolutely clueless as to what had just happened.

"Always use these powers for good Diana" said Hera, beaming. "You are now the symbol of truth, justice and most importantly love, that will inspire Man's World to strive for greatness."

Turning to address the rest of the Amazons, Hera spoke: "Our precious Amazons! For millennia's we have kept you shielded from the outside world and away from man's corruption. Know now that these days are coming to an end".

There were nervous whispers through the crowd.

"Are the Goddess abandoning us?"

"Men are going to invade Themyscira?"

"They can try! They will be met by fire and fury like the world has never seen"

Hera simply raised her hand, the voices slowly died down until there was silence once again. She resumed:

"Do not fear brave Amazons, the barrier around Themyscira is still in place and will stay in place forever. We are simply offering you a choice. Man's World is not as brutal and violent as it once was. Our sisters are beginning to take power in many places around the world, and peace slowly starting to replace war. We feel that this is a perfect time for the Amazons to resurface in Man's World to help guide them to a brighter future. The matter in which you choose to influence Man's World is yours to decide. We will give you time to reflect on this, and send you a sign when the choice must be made."

There was a lot of apprehension amongst the Amazons, each trying to understand what the Goddess were asking of them.

Finally, Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazon's, stepped towards the Goddess placing a comforting hand on her daughter's shoulder, who was still trying to figure out what these gifts were, and spoke:

"Great Hera how will we know when the choice is to be made?"

At this question Aphrodite smiled, and winking purposefully at Diana answered:

"Trust me Hippolyta, you will know."

After this the five Goddess disappeared in a flash of light, leaving everyone with more questions than answers.

Afterwards Hippolyta had assembled her council to discuss the Goddess' omens, while the rest of the Amazons slowly returned to their daily routines.

Meanwhile it did not take Diana long to begin unraveling her new powers after she had started floating while doing jumping jacks.

She could fly, her strength had increased dramatically, she was nearly invulnerable, her vision was like that of a hawk, and she was sure there were a lot of other abilities she had yet to discover.

While this had greatly excited her, she soon realized it didn't make any more sense to practice with her sisters. They couldn't beat her. She could just stand still while they dulled their blades hitting her until they tired themselves out, or pick them up and fly them high in the sky where a drop would be deadly.

After a couple days she had stopped coming to practices, instead choosing to fly around the island or ride her horse on the beach.

 _*END FLASHBACK*_

Now here she was eagerly waiting for this sign that the Goddess had foreshadowed, so that she may explore beyond the horizon into Man's World.

Little did she know, the sign was coming faster then she thought.


	2. Chapter 2

**Here's chapter 2. My very first review mentioned how the chapters were short which I agree is annoying. Don't worry I've written up to chapter 8 and am writing more each day, and chapters get longer as I get more comfortable with the writing exercise. I should be able to get out a chapter a day easy, perhaps more on weekends when I have more time.**

 **Anyhow, without further delay, enjoy the story!**

Chapter 2: Huston, we have a problem

Bruce was frustrated.

He had received a distress signal directly to the batcomputer which was only given to select people so they could reach him directly. Naturally he responded since one of his allies could be in danger, but it didn't make sense that it would be sent from the middle of the Atlantic. Either Clark had seriously lost it or this was a trap.

 _Of course it would be a trap_ , Bruce cursed himself as several black jets emerged from the clouds and opened fire on the batplane.

He immediately took evasive maneuvers, preparing for a counter attack. The other pilots were good, so was their tech. They weren't picked up on any of his scanners, and their formations were precisely executed. Definitely seasoned pilots.

Bruce quickly reviewed everything in his mind. Half a dozen well trained pilots in top of the line combat aircrafts who seemed intent on shooting him out of the sky. While his plane was likely more advanced in terms of maneuverability and armament, they had strength in numbers. He also knew that his skills likely outmatched any of them individually, but their level coordination made it clear he would be unable to goad them into breaking formation.

Having played out a host of scenarios it was clear the only one that _might_ not end with him dead at the bottom of the seas was a retreat.

It never pleased him to have to escape, but he wasn't going to let his pride get in the way of the bigger picture. He had been lured into a trap by someone smart enough to get an anonymous distress signal to the batcave and resourceful enough to have him ambushed by lesser versions of his own batplane. These criteria already narrowed the possibilities quite a bit, but he wouldn't be able to confirm his suspicions if he was dead.

Having made his decision, Bruce quickly pitched his plane downwards and slowly started to build up speed to try outrunning his pursuers. They stayed on his tail, maintaining formation, and firing repeatedly at the back of his plane.

 _Good luck,_ he smirked, _you're going to need something a lot heavier to get through…_

For the second time he cursed himself as he felt a sudden explosion rock the cockpit, as if a missile had just hit him.

 _Impossible_ , he tought, _how could they not appear on the radar?_

Enemies with planes AND missiles that could disappear off of radars, his list of suspects was growing shorter and shorter.

He couldn't spare time to reflect however as it was clear his plans for an escape were compromised. The only option left was the little red button he had installed some time ago without ever being able to field test it.

"Let's see if you earn your salary Lucius" he said out loud in defiance, slamming his fist down on the control panel.

As soon as the button was pressed, the batplane started spiraling towards the ocean, it's pilot having seemingly lost control. In reality, Bruce was perfectly fine, his hands having left the steering, and been placed over each shoulder in a brace position.

As the plane continued its decent, parts of the plane began to shift around to be arranged in the optimal position in order to fake a crash. The priority being to properly cushion Bruce's fall since a parachute was out of the question.

"Ten seconds to impact" a digitized voice announced.

 _Interesting to think that if I die this is escape pod basically becomes my sarcophagus. Dual purpose_ , Bruce mused. Let it never be said he didn't make jokes.

"Five seconds to impact"

Just as the warning came he felt his pod being propelled away from the burning mass of the plane. _In theory the pod should be covered in cloaking panels to prevent the pilots from seeing him several thousand feet above him. They would only see the rest of the plane exploding in an eye catching display of pyrotechnics._

"Three seconds to impact"

 _This is all theoretical of course, if they are very thorough or just know me very well they'd feel it couldn't be that easy and take a closer look._

"Impact imminent"

 _Well here goes noth-_

His train of thought was stopped the moment he hit the water as he blacked out instantly.


	3. Chapter 3

**Since I've got several chapters already ready to be published I decided to post chapter 3 earlier than planned to get the exposition stuff out of the way. If you've stuck with it this far I feel this story is definitely on an exponential curve where things progress towards epicness. Not the clearest explanation I know, anyway here's the rest of the story.**

Chapter 3: Is is a meteor, is it a coffin, no it's...

Diana was startled.

From her place on the beach, she saw what looked like a ball of fire fall from the sky and into the sea.

At first she was worried. Maybe it was some sort of punishment from the Gods or worse, an attack from Man's World. But as she waited for several minutes, there were no more fire balls, just the unending expanse of the azure sky and sea.

 _No wait, there is something else_ , she reflected, squinting hard with her sharp eyes to see better. A strange glimmering object that seemed to meld with the color of the water was floating towards her.

 _What is it? An omen?_ Diana wondered. _Doesn't matter. I must warn mother immediately._

Just as she was turning away from the water the distinct sound of hooves came to her ears. It seemed she wasn't the only one who had seen the object in the sky. She could now see her mother dressed in battle regalia riding a pure white stallion, with her honor guard close behind her.

As her mother came up to her level, Diana bowed respectfully, if not slightly rushed, eager to try to make sense of what she had just witnessed.

"Mother thank the Gods you're here. A ball of flame just fell out of the sky and landed in the water over there. I also saw a strange reflective object drifting towards us. I was thinking it may be some sort of sign from the Gods."

Queen Hippolyta listened intently to everything her daughter said, her expression not betraying a single emotion. However once her daughter had finished her explanation, she allowed herself a small sigh of relief.

"From what you have described Diana it seemed most likely that the Gods are delivering us some sort of message or gift." Why the Gods couldn't deliver anything without a flashy sound and light show was something Hippolyta never understood, but she refrained from voicing these thoughts, lest any immortal ears be listening.

"We will wait here until this mysterious object reaches us" she announced to everyone around her. All of whom acknowledged and began dismounting.

It took about twenty minutes for the object to finally reach the shore, where it lazily sunk into the soft sand.

Diana was the first up to it, examining it closely. Her mother joined her as well, the rest of her guard staying back looking at it with a mix of curiosity and concern.

It was completely covered in a strange material. A mirror was the closest comparison Diana could think of, but it didn't feel exactly right. The material didn't simply reflect what was in front of it, it seemed to try to blend with its surroundings. It was adopting the color of the golden sand and she suspected that most people would not see it if they were far away. In this respect it reminded her of a chameleon.

Apart from that it's shape was fairly innocuous and normal, seemingly big enough for one person to fit inside. She had a sudden flash from one of the many books she had read over the millennia that described a custom in which a dead person's body would be placed in a box and housed in special tomb with all their worldly possessions, in preparation for their ascension to the afterlife.

She found such a custom rather absurd in her mind. The true way to get to the afterlife didn't require such artifices. It simply required…

"A sarcophagus" her mother said, interrupting her musings.

"I agree mother. It is the right shape, and seems designed to impress" Diana responded.

"Interesting" her mother whispered, staring intently at the object.

"But why mother? Our Gods do not recognize this ritual. Why send us something that they themselves regard as superfluous? It doesn't make sense."

Hippolyta smiled at her anxious daughter. _Always diving head first_ , she thought.

"Diana remember there is always more than meets the eye. It seems clear that whatever answers we seek reside inside"

Hearing these words, Diana's mind started racing. _What could it be? Unlikely a dead body. Maybe some sort of armor that the Amazons would have to fight over to obtain.? Perhaps weapons of some sort? Knowledge that would propel the Amazon society forward?_ But then the story of Pandora flashed through Diana's mind and she began to worry that this could still very well be a curse or punishment from the Gods.

As she was thinking about all these things, sounds could be heard from inside the sarcophagus.

Suddenly, it's lid flew open, revealing the perfect encapsulation of all of Diana's theories.


	4. Chapter 4

**Welcome to another chapter in this ongoing adventure. I am overjoyed with the responses and encouragement from everyone so far.**

 **I want to directly thank** **LifeisCRUEL for his/her reviews so far. I am trying to slowly delve into more detail through each chapter, both as I do rewrites and when writing new chapters. I am currently doing my first fight scene that I am spending time trying to develop as coherently as possible.**

 **Thank you for the reviews, keep em coming! :)**

 **Also I do wish to clarify that this Batman will be more social and open, then you may see him in other fanfictions. He will still keep his stoic and unfeeling side, but Bruce Wayne's personality may rub off more noticeably on his Bat persona. Then again there's no telling what direction I may choose to take his personality.**

 **I also envision Batman's outfit as the one from the Batman Arkham Knight video game, where it's more armour like, instead of the smooth texture seen in the animated series. It's just to tie it in with the type of armour the Amazon's wear.**

 **For Wonder Woman's look, I see her as her JL and JLU appearance. Same outfit, same look and more or less same personality.**

 **All right I'll stop yammering now and let you enjoy this next step in the journey.**

(I will start titling my chapters now. Don't worry I'll make sure to go back and change the earlier ones as well)

Chapter 4: Out of the fire ball, onto the Island.

Batman felt disoriented.

The impact of the crash had knocked him out instantly, and when he finally regained consciousness he was hearing voices outside his pod.

He was unable to understand exactly what they were saying but from their tone he could tell they weren't hostile. Yet.

Regardless, he had to get out of this confined space. He could worry about the intentions of the people outside once he was out. Mustering up his strength, Batman began heaving upwards with his arms like he was bench pressing in the gym. Once. Twice. And on the third push the lid flew off.

Not wasting any time, the Bat quickly sat up and scanned his surroundings. Thankfully the filters in his lenses lessened the blazing sun's glare so he didn't get blinded from the lighting change. After a swift turn, the source of the voices became clear.

As soon as the pod opened, all the Amazons took a single step back, all falling into battle ready positions, hands on their swords. As the queen's personal guard, they were some of the most ferocious warriors on the island, and wouldn't take a chance when the queen and princess were here.

Diana and Hippolyta simply watched as a figure clad in black armor and a cape emerged, it's eyes replaced with slits of light and holding strange weapons in its hands. They looked like jagged pieces of metal, but upon closer inspection had very precise contours and edges. Clearly some kind of weapon. Halfway between a dagger and a throwing knife.

Batman carefully shifted his eyes to each of the women in front of him. They were all dressed in light armor with spears, swords and shields. He wasn't aware of any fighting force in the modern world that still relied on these sorts of weapons, so it was clear he was in for a discovery.

The Amazons shared Batman's confusion at what they were seeing. Almost every part of this… things appearance was unfamiliar to them. They could deduce he was wearing some sort of armor, and they recognized the cape draped over his shoulders, but beyond that it was all a conundrum.

For a few seconds there was total silence. No one moved a muscle, as each party assessed the other.

Finally, Diana's mother stepped forward, breaking the trance and announced in a regal tone:

"I am Hippolyta, queen of the Amazons. We saw you emerge from a ball of fire that came from the sky. We presume you were sent here by our Gods, but we were not informed of your arrival. Please tell us who you are and why you are here."

Bruce paused for a few seconds. This was a lot of new information he needed to process; but most pressing was that they seemed to have mistaken him for somebody else. Some sort of "godly gift" maybe? Never mind their belief in a polytheistic religion, his immediate worry was whether he should try to deceive them into thinking he was sent by their Gods, or just tell them the truth.

They did not recognize or react to his bat insignia, meaning he shouldn't be afraid of revealing himself as the Batman. However, the fact that they were Amazons, about which Bruce knew just the essentials, the next step in revealing himself as a man would most likely be more complicated. Accounts differed on what Amazons did to men who landed on their island. Sometimes they gave them a boat so they could leave, other times they formed romantic bonds and most of the time the man in question was simply killed on the spot and left for the crows to pick apart.

Be that as it may, trying to pass himself off as someone he was not wasn't any better. Baring the fact he had no idea who he could portray that would be of significance to them. If they found out who he really was, he would be a liar in addition to being a man, in which case he would be given much less wiggle room then if he were only the latter.

Deciding that honesty would probably get him farther then deception, Batman straightened himself, put away his weapons and spoke clearly:

"Pleased to meet you Queen Hippolyta, my name is Batman, the Dark Knight of Gotham City. I am afraid I have no connections to these Gods you speak of. My plane was shot down and I had to jettison before the crash. If you'd allow me to send out a distress signal, I can be gone within a couple of hours."

As he finished his speech, there were a couple more seconds of silence, during which the queen's guard started to tense up a little more prepared to attack at their queen's command.

The silence was finally broken when Diana took a step forward and curiously asked:

"You're a knight? I've read about those. You protect the innocent. Uphold justice. Fight against monsters. Are you that sort of knight?"

Bruce was surprised at this reaction. Out of all the things she could have asked, she decided to question him on his namesake. He smiled. If they were all as free spirited as she seemed to be, he shouldn't have to worry about his safety.

Hippolyta's words brought him back to reality:

"You're a man?"

 _Shit_ , Bruce thought, _and it was all going so well._

"Yes, but I wish to assure you I mean you no harm, I only wish to leave…"

"Seize him", she spat.

Hearing their queen's words, her honor guard sprang forward; spears down, shields up, forming a circle around the Batman.

This wasn't good. He could probably hold his ground against these warriors, but for one there were definitely more back at wherever their base was, and second, any hopes for leaving peacefully would be basically annihilated if he engaged them. While he didn't like his odds, he wouldn't be caught trying to play pacifist. If they were intent on taking him down, he'd be sure to make them work for it.

Then an idea popped into his mind.

"What guarantee can you give me I won't be harmed?" he asked in a casual tone, relaxing his posture.

Hippolyta narrowed her eyes at him. He was surrounded and outnumbered, but was still trying to trick them into letting their guard down. _Some things never change_ , she thought.

In a voice halfway between a growl and a shout she responded:

"You have broken the sacred law of this island. You will be tried and we will decide what do with you. However, if you wish to resist, we may simply kill you where you stand!"

"What guarantee can you give me that it will be a fair trial", Bruce continued, completely ignoring the armed Amazons surrounding him.

"We are Amazons. We live our lives truthfully and fairly, and your trial would be no exception."

"Do you swear it on your honor?"

Hippolyta was incredulous. This man was clearly plotting something and she was growing tired of it. She was going order her guard to kill him, but her daughter spoke up:

"I swear on my honor as princess of Themyscira that you will receive a fair trial and shall not be harmed unless our verdict dictates otherwise."

Everyone looked at Diana in shock, apart from Bruce who kept his face neutral.

They all knew what this meant. Honor was everything to an Amazon. Sullying it meant eternal shame in the eyes of the Gods, and none of the queen's guard would even consider tarnishing their princess's honor.

However, the man had taken no such vow, meaning he could attack them and they would be stuck an impasse between protecting their princess's honor and their service to their queen. It wasn't a choice they wished to make.

As everyone waited for Batman's response, he simply nodded, lifted his hands above his head and declared:

"I surrender."


	5. Chapter 5

**Here we go, a brand new chapter fresh out the oven. As you can see they are progressively getting longer and I am doing my best to flesh everything out as well as possible.**

 **I am trying to keep the amount of supporting characters down to a reasonable amount to better develop and not confuse you the reader. Of course if you have any ideas for characters you'd like to see make an appearance don't hesitate to say so. There is no master plan for this story. I have a basic structure and points I want to hit, but I also want it to be fun for the reader**

 **Anyway enough talk, let's ride.**

 **Thanks for the reviews keep em coming.**

Chapter 5: The plot thickens

Bruce had been brought into the main city of Themyscira where most of the activity on the island took place. It had to be done discreetly to not cause any unrest, and after careful maneuvering, he ended up in a cell seemingly deep underground.

He couldn't do much more in terms of figuring out where he was since the Amazons had the foresight to put a bag over his head.

They had also taken his utility belt. Rather Bruce had surrendered it to them as a sign of good faith (he had more than enough tools to escape if need be anyway). In exchange he had been allowed to keep his armor and most importantly his cowl. While revealing his face would undoubtedly help his case, he still needed much more information about them if he were to reveal one of the world's most closely guarded secrets.

Looking around his cell, he saw it was a fairly standard affair. One bed, one chair and one bucket. What fun. No windows. Three walls of solid stone and the fourth made of strong metal bars, that gave out onto a dingy corridor.

Deciding that for the time being he could put the question of his survival aside, Bruce decided to exercise. It always helped clear his mind, and it wasn't like he had any other options.

He started stripping off his armor, until he was left with nothing but his cowl and pants. Admittedly a ridiculous combo that would destroy his credibility if anyone saw him, but he doubted these Amazons had much concern for his fashion choices.

Heaving a deep breath, Bruce began his stretches.

* * *

While Bruce kept himself busy, several levels above him Queen Hippolyta had assembled her small council, as well as all those who were present on the beach for an emergency meeting.

Those who did not know what was going on were admittedly feeling anxious. Emergency council meetings were an exceedingly rare occurrence and they were rarely held to discuss good news.

As everyone whispered amongst themselves waiting for the queen to arrive, Diana was lost in her thoughts reflecting on earlier events.

It had certainly been a surreal experience and she was left with nothing but questions. Why the ball of fire? Why the gleaming sarcophagus? Why the mysterious… man? It still felt so strange to think that this had been her first encounter with a man. Granted it didn't last very long, but her initial reaction had been curiosity instead of repulsion like she would have thought. After all the only time any Amazon talked about men was to say how vile and loathsome they were.

Diana certainly would not have thought of a knight in black amour if asked to imagine what a man would look like. She knew she needed to get in front of him to ask him more questions. Regardless what sort of filth he may be; her curiosity was stronger than the fear instilled by her sisters.

The whole trick would be not tipping off her mother. Early on, many people realized that Diana was both incapable of lying and of disguising her intentions. When she was young many of her escapades had been foiled because she would walk around the palace with a mischievous grin on her face that everyone associated with a prank being afoot.

As she reflected, her mother burst into the room, her honor guard close behind her.

All the chatter died down as everyone stood to attention, awaiting the queen's words:

"A man has arrived on Themyscira.", she announced, straight to the point. _Better to get the initial shock out of the way first_ , she reasoned.

At her words the entire room went abuzz with chatter. The sound of chairs scrapping against the marble floor were heard as many Amazons stood up to make their point.

Phillipus, one of the queen's trusted advisors and amongst the strongest warriors on Themyscira, stood up and asked:

"When? How?"

"About an hour ago. Out of a ball of fire, which he called a "plane"."

More chatter. Everyone seemed to be trying to decrypt the significance of that last word. Something that could be confused for a ball of fire was worth understanding.

"Do you think there will be more?", asked Artemis.

Another of the queen's advisors and a master archer. Hence her name. The patience required to master archery also made Artemis more level headed and rational than some of her other sisters. Namely Phillipus, who's head strong personality often clashed with Artemis's composed demeanor.

"I don't think so. This doesn't seem like a coherent invasion plan."

"Do you think he is a threat?"

"I don't think so. At least for now he isn't."

There was a brief moment of silence.

"We should dispose of him my queen.", spoke Phillipus without hesitation. Several others nodded their approval, while others simply looked to their queen.

"We cannot. Diana has vowed on her honor that he will not be harmed and be granted a fair trial"

At these words all the eyes of the council were on Diana, who held her ground looking each person in the eye, daring them to criticize her decision.

She had nothing to regret in the choice she made. Simply executing the man and acting as though nothing happened was asking for trouble. There was clearly more at play here.

"How is it even possible?", Artemis asked. "Doesn't the barrier prevent men from reaching our shores?"

"Yes it does Artemis.", answered Hippolyta. "The barrier is still in place, but somehow he made it through."

"Do you believe it is punishment from the Gods?"

"Hardly a punishment my child", a voice spoke from behind them.

Everyone quickly turned around, and upon seeing who had spoken dropped to one knee, eyes locked to the ground.

"Great Hera. Are you saying you have sent this man to us?", Hippolyta asked in a wary tone.

"Not so much sent as facilitated his arrival. It was a happy coincidence really.", Hera answered with a smile on her face.

The Amazons looked skeptically at one another, surprised by the Goddess lighthearted tone.

Anticipating their common question, Hera continued:

"It has been prophesized that war is coming to Themyscira. One that the Amazon's are unable to win in their current state. I believe that this man may be able to help, and act as a way for the Amazons to rejoin the rest of the world. However, as you know, we never like to meddle in Amazonian affairs, which is why we leave the final decision to you. If you wish to see what this man could bring you it is your choice, if you choose to execute him and face this threat on your own, that is also your choice. I have delivered the information. It is up to you what to do with it."

With these final words, the queen of the Gods disappeared in a flash of light.

There was total silence as everyone mulled over the Goddess words.

Finally, Hippolyta, preferring to avoid another shouting match, spoke up:

"We have all heard our goddess message. I advise that each of you reflect on her words and think about our options. We will reconvene tomorrow at the same time to discuss how we will proceed regarding this manner. You will also be able to see this man for yourselves. Meeting adjourned!"

As everyone began to slowly leave the room, Hippolyta ordered her guards to hide the sarcophagus in the forest. Until they were certain it posed no threat, they wouldn't take any chances bringing it into the city.

With a quick nod they were off.

As everyone busied themselves, Diana had discreetly slipped out of the room. She hadn't spoken during the meeting as her mother had said all that was significant. However, with the goddess words at the end, her curiosity could no longer be contained.

She had to speak to him.


	6. Chapter 6

**Here we go, the first proper encounter between BM and WW. All those who are expecting them to be in bed by chapter 10 I'll have to ask you curb your enthusiasm;). This relation will be built up progressively and hopefully in a way that doesn't feel forced or artificial.**

 **I just finished writing my first fight scene and am fairly confident with the result, but that will be for a little later mouhahaha!**

 **Reviews are always welcome. Thanks you to all those who have reviewed up to now, your words of encouragement power my engines!**

Chapter 6: The facts are what matter

Bruce felt good.

Well, as good as you can feel when stranded on an island populated by man hating women. More so he felt good physically and mentally. He had just finished his rigorous physical exercise and was now sitting cross legged on the ground, meditating. Slowly trying to ease his mind and spirit from the day's excitement.

He saw this as a good time to start reflecting on what his next move should be.

While he could trust the princess's word regarding his safety and fair trial, that was no guarantee this would end with him simply sailing off the island back to Gotham. In fact, that felt like the least probable outcome. Meaning this was definitely the moment where his affection for diligent planning and contingencies would need to be brought forth.

He needed to have a clear plan in place for any eventuality that may arise. If they sentenced him to die, he needed to be able to escape. If they chose to imprison him for life on the island, he also needed a way to escape that. Even if a disgruntled Amazon snuck into his cell to kill him in his sleep, he had to be ready to fight back.

Just as he was about to plan his strategies, Bruce heard the door to the dungeon open. He quickly got to his feet. Since the rest of the cells were empty it was pretty obvious who his visitor wished to see; or who is assassins wished to kill.

However, Bruce was not prepared to see the princess from earlier arrive in front of him. At her sight, all plans of escape were forgotten as he more closely admired what was unquestionably a beautiful woman.

As the Batman's alter ego, billionaire playboy Bruce Wayne had dated some of the most attractive women on the planet, but none could hold a candle to her. She seemed to just naturally exude grace and good looks as if it where inscribed in her DNA; instead of having to attain it through makeup, dresses and hair styling.

Were he a lesser man his mouth would most likely be hanging open in admiration; but as the Batman, his discipline was far too rigorous for him to surrender to his primal instincts.

Instead he clenched his jaw and relegated her beauty as a simple observation based on reality; nothing more. The sky is blue. Water is wet. This woman is the most beautiful I've ever seen. Facts. Cold hard facts.

As he stood up straight before her, waiting for the explanation as to why she was here, he noticed that she was just as silent as he. She seemed to be mirroring the look he was giving her when she'd entered the room.

Understanding where her gaze was roaming, as he'd had that reaction basically every single time he was shirtless, he felt it was his duty to bring her back to reality.

It was certainly reassuring to see that they had the same effect on each other.

"Did you need something from me Princess?", he said in his deep baritone, trying to sound as unperturbed as possible.

That did the trick as Diana's eyes shot up, visibly flustered and embarrassed by prolonged silence. However, her royal pedigree would not let her discomfort last. Glancing at the tray of food in her hands she spoke:

"I am here to bring you your food, prisoner."

Bruce couldn't help the edge of his lip from quirking up slightly at her forced tone. The way she fumbled that last word was just one of many red flags.

"No you're not."

"Excuse me?", asked the princess, visibly taken back by his response.

"I find it hard to believe that members of the royal family are being assigned to keep prisoners fed."

"What if I told you that I am doing this because we wish to inform as few people as possible that there is currently a man on our island?"

At her response, Bruce couldn't contain himself, and burst out laughing. Well not exactly burst out, he was still the Batman, more a chuckle by human standards.

Anyone who started their sentence by "what if I told you", was always getting ready to tell a lie. He'd had sufficient experience with this from attending numerous socialite gatherings as Bruce Wayne, where at least five people tried to get him to invest in their projects.

"Has anyone told you you're a terrible liar?"

Diana was getting frustrated. This wasn't how it was supposed to go. She was supposed to be the one setting the frame of the discussion, yet this man had flipped the script on her. Seeing right through her lie and the fact she was terrible at it, as she'd been reminded more than once over the millennia.

Still she had to give it to him, he was certainly smart. His body was also a thing of beauty but that wasn't important right now. He had put his shirt back on anyway. Deciding that keeping up the lie would just be a waste of air, she smiled as well and answered:

"People say it's the one thing I'm terrible at. I am actually here to ask you some questions… and deliver your food."

She handed him the tray, which Bruce saw contained the basic essentials. A cup of water, a small loaf of bread and a plate of meat and vegetable stew. Having subsided in the past on far less, he thanked her with a nod and began eating.

After a few seconds of silence watching him eat, Diana finally asked:

"Who are you? Really?"

After a brief pause as he swallowed his food, Bruce answered:

"My name is Batman. I am the protector of Gotham city. I fight crime and uphold justice."

"Like a hero?"

"I suppose. I'm not a fan of that appellation, but more and more people seems to be using it when referring to me."

"Why do you do it?"

Bruce paused. This explanation involved sensitive information that he wasn't ready to deliver just now.

"Because I have to."

Diana knew better then to push, so she continued with her questions.

"How did you get here?"

"I received a distress signal that I traced to the middle of the Atlantic. I was ambushed on arrival and shot down. I had to do an emergency eject to throw off my pursuers. It knocked me out and I landed here."

"What is a plane?"

Bruce paused again, looking up to her to see if she was joking. Seeing her serious eyes, he began to draw some conclusions about this Island and its inhabitants that weren't all that reassuring.

"It's a machine that allows me to fly."

Diana furrowed her brow visibly confused.

"How?"

"Through a variety of process that would be way too complicated to explain right now."

"So the sarcophagus you came in was part of your plane?"

"It's an escape pod, and yes."

"Why…"

"Would you mind if I asked you some questions princess?"

Diana stopped at his request, feeling it was only right that this exchange go both ways. She nodded.

"Who exactly are you people?"

Diana paused for a few seconds unsure exactly how to answer that. She supposed that a direct question merited a direct answer.

"We are Amazons."

Seeing that she wasn't going to elaborate, Bruce decided to just verify his suspicions.

"When were you born?"

"About one thousand years ago."

"Great! Well that's about all the questions I need to ask.", Bruce suddenly exclaimed, a look of disbelief on his face.

Diana frowned, not understanding what he was talking about.

He simply looked down at his now empty tray lost in thought.

After moments of silence, Bruce finally asked:

"Any idea on what you plan to do with me?"

"Your trial will be held tomorrow. One of our goddess has warned us about an upcoming war she thinks you can help us in."

On any other day he would have some follow up questions, but considering what he'd already inferred, he didn't really bother to delve deeper.

"Can I ask you one last question?"

Bruce looked up to amazon princess, and nodded.

"What are all those marks on your body?"

"They are scars given to me by my enemies during our numerous battles.", he answered in a low voice.

Diana looked pensively at him for a few seconds, before picking up his tray and quickly asking:

"What is it like? Outside, the rest of the world?"

Bruce thought about it for a few seconds. He was definitely a pessimist and tended to expect the worst out of everyone to never be surprised. However, in recent years some his life experiences had started to temper his outlook on the world and people in general.

"There is evil in the world. Sometimes so vile and so omnipresent it feels like there's no escaping it. But through all of it, there have been people who stand against it and reaffirm the idea that anyone can be strong and brave. Standing up for what's right, regardless of the repercussions. Holding high the values of justice, liberty, equality and brotherhood. And ultimately, when the chips are down and the final battle for the soul of the world is held, I know that we will arrive on top."

There was a long silence after Bruce's monologue, as Diana slowly thought about his words.

Bruce was somewhat dismayed he had said all that. A couple years ago he would have told her the world was full of cowardly and superstitious criminals that needed to be pushed into submission. Clark must have been rubbing off on him.

Diana slowly nodded her head, before quickly saying:

"I understand. I'll see you tomorrow at your trial."

As she left his cell, her words brought Bruce back to reality as he remembered his potential death in a matter of hours.

When he heard the door to the dungeon close behind her, Bruce let out a breath he didn't even realize he was holding.

He had no idea why he had shared such personal views with her at the drop of a hat. He was going to need to be more cautious around her in the future.

 _Still she is beauty-SHUT UP! It's just a fact Bruce, nothing to get worked up about_ , he thought feeling like he needed to redo his workout all over again.

 _Sky is blue. Water is wet. Sky is blue. Water is wet…_


	7. Chapter 7

**Tada a brand new chapter for you. This is basically the last step before we get into some better BM WW interaction. Now that a lot of introduction and characterization has been done we can start getting these characters to interact and start progressing the plot.**

 **Thank you, thank you for all the wonderful reviews. Your words of enjoyment keep me up at night to write each new chapter ;)**

 **I won't delay what you're all here for, enjoy the chapter and don't forget to review.**

Chapter 7: My queen, I must confess

Diana was reflecting over what would happen today.

The small council was assembled, waiting for Hippolyta and the prisoner to arrive. After a day's worth of reflection, many of the members were still unable to reach a decision. The prisoner's testimony would be crucial for their final decision.

Diana was anxious for the man. She knew that some of her sisters on the council had very strong views regarding men, and she sincerely hoped that they would be able to put their past pains aside and deliver a fair verdict. After all, she had staked her honor on it.

As everyone was busy talking amongst themselves, the doors to the chamber suddenly flew open. In walked a man clad in black armor, securely tied with rope and escorted by two guards. They pushed him to the center of the room and forcefully sat him down in a chair before the council. Before anyone could react, Hippolyta made her entrance, upon which everyone bowed and took their seats.

Diana couldn't help her smile as she looked around the room. Everyone seemed to be sporting a different expression. Phillipus had her jaw set, with her eyes fixed on the man in front of them, hate visible in her eyes. Artemis, on the other hand, leaned back in her chair with a look of mild surprise at the atypical site before her. Hippolyta wore her best poker face, not betraying any feelings on the issue.

In the meantime, Bruce was carefully observing every single detail of the room he was in and the people he was with. Those things would be paramount to ensure his freedom, or, failing that, his escape.

Seeing that everyone was settled, Hippolyta began the meeting:

"We are gathered here to determine the faith of this man who has broken the sacred law of our island. Whether he should live and whether he should be allowed to help us."

Small scoffs of disbelief were heard across the room, as some rolled their eyes at each other. Hippolyta slowly waited for the interruption to stop, exasperation already forming on her smooth face.

When the room was silent again, Hippolyta continued:

"I will now allow the accused to present himself and explain his motives."

All eyes shifted to Bruce, who nodded in acknowledgment before speaking:

"My name is Batman from Gotham City, but I also go by my alter ego Bruce Wayne."

As he said those words, Bruce leaned forward in his restraints, unfastening his cowl and revealing his face. He had determined that they could not possibly know who he was, and if they were kept isolated on this island it would be highly unlikely that his secret would get out. Again, he felt a gesture like this would help them trust him in the long run.

Everyone's reaction was more or less the same, being: _Gods this man is handsome._ His piercing blue eyes and firm jaw made some Amazons lightly smile, while others upheld their stoic gaze.

Diana was certainly in the _he is handsome_ camp. It wasn't hard to see. It reminded her a lot of the marble sculptures that lined the temples on Themyscira. However, where those were exaggerated and altered wherever necessary, he was just naturally handsome.

Taking in the looks on everyone's faces, Bruce decided it would be a good idea to continue:

"I fight crime and work to protect my city from corruption and injustice, both as Batman and Bruce Wayne. I was shot down above your island in my flying machine after I was ambushed. I have no will or intention to bring any harm to your people, I simply wish to leave as soon as possible."

Having concluded his explanation, everyone started whispering to one another. He seemed sincere enough, but when dealing with a man they couldn't take any risks.

Taking charge once again, Hippolyta spoke:

"Bruce Wayne of Gotham City, is there anything else you wish to confess regarding your intentions or who you claim to be?"

"No, that is all."

"Very well. In that case we shall ascertain the truth of your words. Bring forth the lasso of truth."

At her words, one of her aids handed her a shimmering gold rope; that she draped around Bruce's shoulder, as the latter looked on dubiously.

"This lasso will compel you to tell the truth. Do not resist it."

Taking his quizzical features as sufficient, she tightened the rope and asked her questions.

"What is your name?"

"Batman."

"What is your birth name?"

"Bruce Wayne."

"Why did you come here?"

"I did not come by choice. I crashed near your island and was brought in by the tide"

"What do you intend to do on this island?"

"Leave."

"Would you bring any harm to our people or our island?"

"No. Unless they brought harm to me first."

"What do you know about us?"

"I know you are most likely the Amazons, a race of warrior women who isolated themselves from the rest of the world to live on an island paradise after your humiliation at the hands of Hercules."

At these words, many in the room clenched their fists at the mention of the darkest time of their lives that marked them for eternity.

Hippolyta narrowed her eyes at Bruce and continued:

"How do you know so much about us?"

"Your daughter told me when she came to visit me this morning."

At his words, everyone turned their eyes to the princess who turned away in shame. She should have thought about the lasso's power revealing her secret exchange with him. It was risky seeing him yesterday, but she had been asking for trouble when she had also gone to speak with him today.

Eyes blazing with anger, Hippolyta growled to Bruce:

"What did you do to my daughter."

"We talked, and she brought me some food."

"Did you try to manipulate her or enchant her?"

At these words Diana blushed slightly, but stayed silent.

"No."

Heaving a sigh, Hippolyta glanced around the room, looking to her sisters.

"The lasso has not revealed any lies and he seems well intentioned enough. What do you make of it sisters?"

"I think he can stay.", said Artemis with a smile on her face.

"I think he can die", said Phillipus with a scowl.

Sighing again, Hippolyta turned to her daughter who seemed to want to say something.

"What is it Diana?"

"I think he should be allowed to stay mother. Our Gods have brought him here for a reason, and we would be foolish to disregard it. If this man can give us an edge in the war to come, he needs to stay."

As whispers went around the room agreeing with Diana's point, a light bulb went off in Artemis's mind. With a devilish smile, she announced:

"I agree with the princess. I also feel it would be pertinent for her to be responsible of this man while he is on our island. After all her vow still holds true."

As several voices began to object namely Hippolyta, Phillipus and Bruce; Diana quickly replied:

"I vow to take the man Bruce Wayne under my responsibility for the time he stays on Themyscira."

Knowing thing would soon derail into chaos, Hippolyta decided to conclude things here:

"This meeting is adjourned. It seems a decision has been made. I will contact you all when we have decided how to proceed next."

Then she cast a look down at Bruce and uttered the word:

"Sleep"

Bruce didn't have time to react as he drifted into unconsciousness.


	8. Chapter 8

**Just as the clock is about to strike midnight I am done with the rewrite and able to give you this new chapter. (always reread and rewrite kids, it's an inescapable part of writing ;)**

 **As promised some BM WW interaction that sets the foundation for a powerful platonic friendship between two good friends… Is what I would say if I was writing a comic book, but since I am not doing that, I will simply leave it at the foundation for a blossoming… I think you guys can fill in the rest ;)**

 **I'd like to give special shout outs to LifeisCRUEL and Supermaster51 for their regular reviews and encouragements. You guys rock, thanks for the love.**

 **Next up is setting up the island layout and getting Bruce to interact with the other Amazons. I also have a supporting character that I will be bringing in next chapter. Don't worry I am making sure to keep it to a minimum, but I think this person makes a good addition and will be helpful later on. Anyway I'll stop rambling because I don't want to create too much hype. Please don't try to guess who it is! I don't want to have to alter the story to explain why Nightwing or Alfred made it onto Themyscira ;)**

 **Alright I believe that's all for me, enjoy the chapter and don't forget to review.**

Chapter 8: Seeing eye to eye

As Bruce opened his eyes, he immediately observed a crucial detail. He was no longer in a cell.

As he lifted his head, he immediately noticed the soft bed and pillow he was lying on, which reminded him of his own bed at Wayne Manor.

Getting out of the bed, Bruce continued to cast his gaze around the room which didn't contain much else. A desk and chair, an opening to a balcony and a door that lead to a closet sized space with a single hole on a stone bench. Bruce already knew its purpose. No door that would lead to a potential shower though. _We'll burn that bridge when we get there_ , Bruce reflected with a smile.

Returning to the main room Bruce noticed the set of clothes that were laid out for him on his bed.

A simple white shirt, with long with pants that hung loosely on his legs. The color scheme definitely made him feel out of his shell, but he was impressed by their quality and how well they seemed to be sized.

Deciding that he had spent enough time in the confines of his bastuit, he quickly stripped and changed into his new attire. They were comfortable and moderately stylish, without the pretentious embellishments that many fashion designers applied to their works to try and pass them off as something more than a piece of clothing.

In a way that idea seemed to summarize well what he'd seen on this island so far. Everything was simple and purposeful, not trying to pretend to be something more. That was when the true beauty emerged, and when you noticed it, it felt unforced and spontaneous allowing it to hit you with full effect. The women were the perfect embodiment of this idea. _The princess for example, the way her hair hangs over her shoulder in loose curls and her smooth skin that-_

A knock on the door snapped Bruce out of his reveries. Quickly slapping both his cheeks to wipe his mind of any lingering thoughts, he answered:

"Come in."

He was surprised to see the object of his thoughts walk in, again with a tray of food, although one that seemed much more appetizing this than before. Looked like he wasn't considered a prisoner anymore.

He thanked her with a small nod and began to devour the food she had brought. A whole roast chicken with potatoes, along with a wide selection of fruits and a pitcher of wine (which he drank sparingly). He was confused how she could so easily lift all that weight with one hand, but his appetite overpowered his curiosity.

Seeing that she hadn't left, he decided to be the one to start the conversation:

"Thanks for coming to my defense. You should be the knight, not me."

At his words Diana quickly started waving her hands in front of her, trying to conceal her embarrassed expression:

"Oh no it wasn't like that. It just seemed obvious that…"

Her string of excuses was cut off by Bruce's light chuckle that brought her to the realization he was making a joke.

Bashful at her lack of perception, she started laughing as well.

Bruce silently watched and listened as her soft giggles filled the room. Again, so sweet and melodious and unforced, like listening to a singer practice her vocals. Something about her voice resonated with him, bringing forth images of her mother singing to him whenever he felt sad or down. That magical voice that always seemed to pull him out of the darkness.

Seeing that she was no longer laughing and was eying him questioningly, Bruce quickly snapped to attention, pushing down the memory. _This is not the time to get mushy boy, keep your eye on the ball._

"Do you know how things proceed from here?", he continued before the princess could ask why he had stopped talking.

She didn't answer immediately, instead looking directly into his eyes with piercing intensity, as if spotting something profound that called to her.

After a few seconds, she answered:

"I am to show you around the island, as well as explain our training and our culture. After which you will give us your "opinion" on what you've seen", she announced not hiding the derision in her voice.

"You don't sound pleased."

"Let's just say few are happy about the idea of a man trying to teach an Amazon how to be an Amazon."

"I have been told I am not always the best teacher, but I'll see what I can do."

Picking up on his second attempt at humor, Diana simply quirked up her lips with a mischievous gleam in her eyes.

"Try to amuse us. It's been a while since we've had a good laugh."

"I'll do my best."

Disappointed that he hadn't given in to her goading, the room fell back into silence, apart from the sounds of Bruce enjoying his meal.

"Why do you do it?", the princess asked after a pause.

Finishing his meal, Bruce let a small smile form on his lips as he recalled their first interaction. She hadn't known his secret identity back then so he had refrained from sharing much about himself, but he mainly had no interest in revealing such personal information to a complete stranger.

But now? She didn't feel like a stranger. He felt something in her. Something he couldn't name or place, just a gut feeling that pushed him to trust her and share with her. He had never experienced this before. He rarely, if ever, talked about his past. It was something that was so well documented and widely known in the outside world, that he felt it formed certain preconceptions about him in people's minds, whether consciously or not.

But with her, there was no preconception. She didn't know any more about him then he did about her. He felt he could tell her these things and maybe for the first time be understood, the way he wished people would understand him. Not tainted by preformed ideas based off of whatever they'd seen or read.

Heaving a long sigh, Bruce turned his full attention to the princess, before recounting the inception of his mission:

"When I was a boy, my parents were murdered in front of me. A man named Joe Chill shot them. I initially thought he had been payed to do it by some crime family who disliked my family's support towards law enforcement. Their deaths broke me; and when I'd managed to put the pieces back together I was a different man.

"Many years later, when I tracked Chill down, he told me he wasn't contracted by anybody. He just needed money. Couple that with the psychological disorder he was unable to get meds for, and my parents death was simply an alignment of unlucky coincidences that were one in a million. That's what I thought at first. Then I realized that it wasn't so simple. Joe Chill was a product of his environment, like many Gothamites. An environment that leaves the poor and defenseless to fend for themselves, while the rich and powerful exploit them to their death.

"It was then I realized that to save my city, Batman wouldn't be enough. It also needed Bruce Wayne. One would act as destroyer, the other rebuilder. When Batman would dismantle a human trafficking network, Bruce Wayne would make sure that the victims would be placed in shelters he had built. When more and more super criminals were beginning to appear on the streets of Gotham needing to be locked up after the Batman neutralized them, Bruce Wayne was there to sponsor the construction of a special Asylum to hopefully cure them. Or when a young boy lost both his parents to a greedy circus owner, Batman helped him get justice, while Bruce Wayne helped him find a father figure to relate to. Tried to anyway."

At his last words, Bruce cast his gaze down to the floor, as Diana watched him silently.

Her head was swimming with conflictions. Her Amazon (and possibly cynical side), wanted to relegate this man's suffering as a direct cause of man's destructive effect on the world. Her heart, however, couldn't accept that logic.

Whether or not men had destroyed the outside world, it was obvious that the man standing before her wanted to do good and help others. The strength and conviction he put behind his words made it clear to her how much he cared about his city and its people.

It was something she recognized in herself. Looking and caring after your people. Empathizing with their situations. Helping them when they needed it. Those where all qualities she had admired in her mother and had strived to replicate as well.

This man was no different. He had the same glimmer in his eyes when he talked about his people, that her mother had when speaking of hers.

Diana held his gaze, looking into those sharp azure eyes, as she began to comprehend the complex puzzle that was Bruce Wayne of Gotham City. It awed her and determined her to find out more.

With eyes filled with understanding, Diana responded:

"I understand. At least I think I do."

Bruce simply nodded his head. It was possible she was the first person to ever actually understand who he was. Now he wanted to know more about her to see what hidden depths she held.

Standing up and stretching, Bruce looked over to the Amazon:

"Shall we explore then?"

With a smile, Diana nodded her head, her heart beating just a little bit faster.


	9. Chapter 9

**Hello hello hello! Bringing you brand new chapter, fresh off the grill.**

 **I apologize for not putting up a chapter up yesterday, but with the university year starting I can no longer post a chapter every single day. So just a fair warning chapters will start being one day out of two, maybe three, but no worries the story still continues.**

 **This is the chapter that leads up to a fairly big one (right on chapter 10 who'd a thunk it?) that took me longer to write than others and I personally quite like. Anyway I'm not going to start hyping it up any more than is necessary. Ultimately I think you'll like it.**

 **I am also responding to comments on how Batman is portrayed, which compared to how he is portrayed in other BMWW fanfictions is definitely open and casual. I am trying to walk the line between a cold and rough personality with a more caring and compassionate one, just to allow for either side to be able to shine depending on the situation. There will definitely be some more serious Batman for those who prefer him that way don't worry.**

 **Also I realized that I definitely need to start plotting out upcoming chapters and the course of chapters ahead of time to try to give more continuity and cohesiveness to the whole story. Up till now I was just writing one chapter at a time without any preplanned idea of where the story would go, but now that there are more and more pieces being added to the puzzle, I need to keep it focused or it'll start getting confusing.**

 **Thanks to Supermaster51 for bringing me to that realization. Your comment about what would happen on certain chapters made me realize I definitely needed an outline for this story. So that also means that your guess on when they'd kiss has no answer right now, but I'll make sure to get back to you on that ;)**

" **Alright, alright there's a lot of talk going on, but I don't see a chapter anywhere?!"**

 **Yes, I will stop the talk and let you enjoy this new entry. Please review.**

Chapter 9: Is that a challenge?

Bruce exited his room, dressed in his new threads which were surprisingly comfortable and well sized.

Diana quickly looked him over before and motioned for him to follow her.

She led him down a complex maze of corridors and stairways, until they reached a large open air courtyard… filled with Amazons!

At his appearance next to the princess, the crowd lurched forward, shouting every imaginable insult against male kind, as the queen's guard tried to hold their ground.

As the shouting got louder and the insults more graphic, Diana's patience ran out. Taking a deep breath, she bellowed in a thundering voice:

"SILENCE!"

Everyone suddenly went quiet. They all tried to remember a time where their princess had ever raised her voice like this and weren't able to recall a single instance. Bruce was also taken aback. _The gift that keeps on giving_ , he thought.

Seeing that everyone had quieted down, Diana proceeded to calmly explain the situation. Why there was a man on Themyscira. What he was doing here. The oath she had taken to keep him safe. As the crowd began to examine Bruce closer, some smiles started to appear on certain faces, while disgusted scorns were seen on others.

As Diana finished her explanation, she concluded by asking if her sisters had any questions.

"Why don't we just send him off our island if we aren't going to kill him."

"Our goddess' seems to believe he could help us improve our skills.", Diana answered, making sure to place these words in the mouth of her gods, knowing that no one would dare question a divine decree.

While no one protested, it was clear the general response to this news was sarcasm and euphoria. Diana had to admit she was also struggling to see how this man could be of any help to them.

Bruce however looked unconcerned by everyone's reaction. Instead preferring to take in the beautiful scenery around him; both the island and its inhabitants. It amazed him how every single woman could be a super model in the outside world, while being a super badass warrior lady on Themyscira. _It would certainly help Bruce Wayne's image to tell an edited version of this adventure to the press_ , he reflected with a grin.

Seeing that there were no further questions, Diana asked the crowd to return to their daily activities.

After everyone had left, she turned to Bruce:

"Come. I'll show you around."

Diana quickly started walking away, leaving Bruce to catch up to her. They passed through what seemed to be the main social hub of the city. There were many stalls and shops where blacksmiths, bakers, writers and other artisans showed off their craft.

"This is our shopping district. It is also where the owners of the shops live.", as she spoke Diana approached a shop keeper and began exchanging friendly small talk. She wasn't buying anything, she simply wanted to check up on her people in her duties as princess. This made Bruce smile ever so lightly, but it disappeared as soon as the women's conversation centered around him and unamusing jokes were made at his expense.

Once Diana said goodbye, they continued their walk through the city, arriving at a much more open area with benches and trees to lie under. Two story buildings surrounded the open space.

"This is where the majority of the amazons live. Some have private homes that are dispersed throughout the island, but the majority live here."

"Communal living?"

"Yes."

"Good."

At his last response, Diana gave him a questioning glance, but Bruce didn't notice as he was meticulously looking at the space in front of him.

"I'm guessing up next are the training grounds?", Bruce asked, since the princess wasn't continuing her tour.

"That's right. Follow me.", Diana said abruptly, displeased that he was again attempting to lead the interaction.

They continued on downhill until they arrived to a wide open plain that was abuzz with activity. To their right was the ocean; to their left, the forest; and in between them was an awe and fear inspiring spectacle.

The Amazons were doing their daily training. Yelling and grunting with such ferocity they sounded like raging beast. They were practicing a variety of combat drills, archery training and physical exercises.

The looks of determination and focus on their faces as they meticulously repeated their assigned workouts were truly impressive. Bruce couldn't help but smile at the sight, wishing her could drag a certain emerald archer down here. _Like meat to piranhas_ , he thought.

Suddenly, a horn blast resonated across the plane. Immediately after, the groups of Amazons at each station rotated to the one next to them. Once everyone had changed places, they all started their new exercise or drill.

"The shift is every hour. Training lasts for four hours in the morning, and four hours in the afternoon, every single day. The artisans and shopkeepers also train, but not as much as the army members.", Diana explained.

Bruce could see the detached look on her face as he told him this. He took a guess at why she seemed so distant.

"You don't train with them?"

Diana turned to Bruce with a look of surprise. _He certainly doesn't miss a beat_ , she thought.

"No. I used to but… Let's just say something happened and it's complicated.", Diana answered avoiding his eyes. She had no interest even trying to talk about her powers. While she respected him for sharing intimidate details about himself with her, the princess wasn't going to take empathy from a mortal man who had no clue what it was like to be her.

Choosing to not pry any further, Bruce simply nodded and walked towards the training grounds. Diana quickly walked up to him, visibly irritated to be led around in such a way.

As he navigated the various stations, many of the Amazons shot hateful or amused glares in his direction, before focusing back on their work.

Finally, an unusual figure caught his eye amongst the crowd. A lithe figure with blond hair and a small frame who was getting the snot beaten out of her by another Amazon. She caught his eye because her physique made her stick out amidst her tall and well-built sisters.

"What do you know about her?", Bruce asked, pointing to the woman in question.

Surprised, Diana looked where he was pointing, before heaving a soft sigh, a small smile on her lips.

"Her name is Mala. She was brought to us several years ago by Athena. She told us that she would be a powerful ally in the future, but as you can see that hasn't really manifested yet."

Almost to punctuate her statement, Mala was beaten down to the ground with a final punch from her opponent. Just as the young girl was struggling up to her feet, the horn sounded.

With a wide smile on her badly bruised face, she held her hand out to her opponent:

"Good fight."

"Not much of a fight. More like target practice.", her opponent answered with a smile as she shook Mala's hand. "I think you should call it in for today Mala."

The young girl, who looked to be around twenty years old, started to protest but seeing Bruce and Diana approach her, quickly nodded her head and walked forward to meet them.

"Diana! It's so good to see you again. I got worried after you stopped showing up for practice.", she said wrapping Diana in a warm hug.

"Sorry about that Mala.", Diana answered quietly.

Pulling away with an understanding look, Mala turned to Bruce with a shy smile.

"You must be the man everyone is raving about. I have to admit you don't look like a devil spawn. I'm Mala.", she said, extending her hand towards him.

Saying Bruce was shocked would be a gross understatement. He had pretty much up given up hope for a normal greeting from anybody on Themyscira, but this girl just did it like it was nothing. _Curiouser and curiouser_ , Bruce mused.

Getting over his surprise, Bruce reciprocated the smile as he grasped her hand firmly:

"Pleased to meet you Mala. My name is Bruce Wayne, but you can call me Bruce."

"It's a pleasure to meet you Bruce."

Watching their interaction, Diana felt a bit jealous all of a sudden. Confused at why she was feeling this way, she quickly shook the feeling away. _What was that about?_ she asked herself, almost hoping that a small voice could whisper the answer.

Somewhere far away, high up in the clouds, a group of women were all struggling to hold a blond beauty away from a mirror. The woman in question was pleading the others to let her do this. How it would make everything so much easier and speed things up a great deal. That if the girl was asking for an answer, it fell in her domain to tell her. The others just shook their heads disapprovingly, saying that such a thing had to be earned and lived up to.

 _Just ignore it_ , Diana thought, focusing back on the conversation.

"I couldn't help but be drawn to your fight. You really seemed to have her on the ropes."

Mala laughed brightly at his joke, wincing slightly from the bruises on her face.

"Yeah it's pretty standard now. When Diana was here, I would generally train with her and she'd go easy on me. But after she left, the others haven't given me that luxury.", Mala responded, giving the princess a small smile.

Diana quickly looked down, shame clearly written on her face.

Before Bruce could respond, a loud voice from one of the stations caused him to turn his head:

"Hey man swine!", Phillipus yelled. "If you're here to help us, maybe you could try turning that pathetic weakling into something useful. Wooden dummies achieve as much as her!"

Phillipus let out a loud laugh, which she was surprised to see few had reciprocated, most seeing this jab as cruel and unnecessary.

As Diana stepped forward, her eyes filled with anger, ready to take Phillipus down a few pegs, Bruce cut off her trajectory, placing himself between the two women. In a smooth voice he had picked up from a certain feline "friend", he answered:

"It would be my great privilege and honor. I see in Mala the potential for a great warrior. I can even say very confidently that within a week from now she would be able to face you in combat. Perhaps even win. How about a week from now we hold a small tournament? Mala and I, against you and an Amazon of your choosing. Winner requests anything of the loser."

Silence.

The once active and bustling training grounds had been reduced to the sound of waves crashing on the surf, and leaves rustling in the wind.

After several moments, Phillipus walked up to Bruce and in a low growl answered:

"I accept."


	10. Chapter 10

**Wow here we go the tenth chapter milestone. Holly cow is this one long. Easily the longest so far.**

 **Alright so I've seen the reviews of the last chapter that predicted this one. You guys we are on the right track, hope the final outcome still leaves you satisfied and smiling ;). Some of what you've said might just come back in future chapters though…**

 **I have also drawn up an outline for the proceeding of the story, the villains, the secondary character developments etc…**

 **Anyhow, I'm going to stop teasing you any further, I'll let you enjoy the chapter and meet you at the end.**

 **Enjoy.**

Chapter 10: PLUS ULTRA!

As soon as the challenge was issued and accepted, the energy of the island skyrocketed. Everyone was discussing it, joking about it, and placing the same bet over and over regarding who would emerge victorious.

Amidst all the commotion in the days that followed, Diana was still trying to wrap her head around what she had just witnessed.

As soon as Bruce had received Phillipus's answer, he immediately took Mala aside and quickly explained to her Gods know what. Diana could only hope he was apologizing for using her as a pawn in his display of arrogance.

The day after that, when Diana had gone to his room to talk to him about the stunt he had pulled, she found that he had already left. She searched the entire palace and asked anyone she could if they knew where he went, but no one knew or saw a thing.

Bruce remained unseen for the whole day; returning just after sundown, exhausted and with a small bruise on his cheek. When Diana confronted him to know what he was doing, he simply said he was training with Mala, giving no further details.

This pattern of disappearance repeated for several days; infuriating Diana to no end, due in part to the fact she had no idea what she was annoyed about. It made sense for him to practice with Mala, after all they were going to fight together. _But why pick one of the weakest fighters on the Island as his partner?_ Why not pick the strongest, she would have obviously accepted? It would have been an opportunity to get to know him better and spend some time with…

 _WAIT WHAT!_

Diana immediately stopped her line of thinking, quickly ruffling her hair to shake the idea away.

 _I don't care what he does and who he does it with. If he wants to waste his time trying to train a failure of an Amazon that's his problem._ , she ranted spitefully.

Diana immediately regretted these thoughts. She hated the way Mala was always called weak and a failure behind her back by some. _Prowess in combat doesn't make an Amazon; spirit does_. Mala had the strongest fighting spirit of any of her sisters, and she felt guilty for letting her newly gained power drive a wedge between them.

 _I need to apologize to her._

Since it was after sundown, Diana assumed Mala would be in getting ready for bed. She quickly flew out of the palace and towards the barracks.

The person she was looking for was just walking towards the baths. She looked exhausted but beamed with newfound pride and confidence.

Diana landed softly in front of her. Before Mala could open her mouth, she quickly stated:

"Mala I want to apologize. I have grown distant over the past few days, all because I have gained powers I don't fully comprehend. I let my arrogance cloud my judgement, and in that I abandoned a close friend. One of my only friends. I want to apologize Mala and hope we can be friends again."

After a few seconds of silence, Mala's smile grew even wider. Without warning she suddenly wrapped Diana in a surprisingly strong hug.

"Di what are you talking about? Of course we can be friends, I never thought otherwise. I mean seriously if you discover you are able to fly and you don't take some time to reflect, then something is wrong with you."

After a moment of shock, Diana tightened the embrace, not caring that the grime and sweat from Mala's training was now covering her as well.

"Bruce is a really incredible you know?", Mala whispered.

Diana quickly held her at arm's length with an unbelieving expression. _How are they suddenly on a first name basis?_

"I know, I know. He's a man. He's a pig etc.… But I promise you he's different. He is kind and helpful, but also firm and merciless when necessary. I feel I've learned more from him in only a couple days then I have from my sisters in a year on Themyscira."

Diana didn't say a thing. What could she say? That Mala was lying? That she had been manipulated by him? No. Because she had felt with him the exact same things that her friend was describing.

A thousand years of existence felt meaningless compared to the couple minutes she had spent with him each day. It felt as if even with an extra millennium she couldn't begin to unravel the mystery that was Bruce Wayne, Dark Knight of Gotham City.

"Would you like to join me for a bath? It seems you could use one.", Mala proposed with a smile, breaking Diana out of her reflection.

The latter wanted to ask more about Bruce and what his training consisted of, but a flash of light popped into her head. The perfect way to maybe get some answers to the enigma that was obsessing her.

With a wide smile, Diana accepted Mala's offer and together they headed towards the baths.

They stayed up all through the night; playing in the warm water and discussing all kinds of topics for hours. Bruce was not mentioned once.

* * *

Finally, fight day was here.

All the Amazons gathered in a structure Bruce had not been shown on his tour. A coliseum. Basically the same one than in Rome, except completely intact and its seats filled with amped up and screaming Amazons.

Bruce couldn't help his smile. It was impressive the passion and dedication the Amazons placed behind anything they did. Granted the fact he was a man about to face off against one of the island's greatest fighters helped build up the excitement, but it was still a sight to behold.

The queen was also in attendance, trying to look as impassive as possible, while internally sharing the crowd's sentiment as to the outcome of the fight.

Looking over to his right he saw the young blond girl twirling a lock of hair between her fingers, her feet pacing nervously. He laid a gentle hand on her shoulder, giving her a confident nod, to which she answered with a small smile.

She was a different person from when she had begun her training. She didn't know if they would win, but she knew she would be giving it everything she had and they would have to take her out on a stretcher. She wouldn't surrender here.

Suddenly, the noise in the arena got even louder as the gates on the opposite side of the coliseum started opening, revealing Phillipus alongside…DIANA?!

Both were dressed in similar armor. It combined the right amount of protection, while remaining light enough for them to manoeuver around swiftly. Their expressions were unreadable.

Seeing the princess of Themyscira join the fight, many in the stands began laughing. The two strongest warriors on the island against a man and a weakling. This was feeling more like a comedy show than a fighting match.

Bruce simply smirked as he saw the princess come out onto the dirt. _She's taken the bait_.

Both pairs of fighters walked up to each other, meeting in the center of the ring. Once they were close, Bruce and Mala bowed. Surprised by this impromptu sign of respect, their opponents quickly bowed as well. Regardless who their opponents were, they wouldn't disgrace themselves by acting conceited.

After the fighters had greeted each other, Hippolyta stood up from her throne and stepped forward to the ledge overlooking the fight. Seeing this, the arena started to quiet down.

When she had everyone's attention, the queen announced in a booming voice:

"My sisters we are gathered here to settle a challenge that was issued by the man Bruce Wayne of Gotham City. He will be fighting alongside Mala, and his opponent Phillipus will be fighting alongside Diana. Weapons are allowed for this match. Victory is attained by rendering your opponent unconscious or forcing them to submit. The matches are to remain strictly one on one and killing is absolutely forbidden. Any who violates these rules will be punished accordingly. Also, for the sake of fairness, Diana has accepted to fight without her powers."

While Bruce was unsure what Hippolyta meant with that last statement he chose to worry about it later. His opponents were already settling into battle positions.

Phillipus was wielding a freakish looking mace, designed to have spikes mounted on its head. Thankfully she was considerate enough to remove them for this match, knowing it would irreparably harm anyone it touched.

Diana was sporting a classic short sword in her right hand with a round shield in her left. It felt strange holding them in her hands after several days of skipping practice, but her muscle memory was already starting to kick in as the thrill of battle permeated through her.

Mala wielded eskrima sticks that Bruce had provided her. They were each about as long as her forearm, and when compared to her opponents' arsenal, didn't seem that impressive. However, everyone was aware that getting hit by a solid piece of metal wasn't something to take lightly.

Finally, Batman, who was just putting on his cowl that completed his costume, simply kept his hands by his side, hidden under his cape. Since he was a man, the Amazons were already expecting underhanded tricks and his current stance certainly didn't alleviate those suspicions.

As the excitement in the coliseum reached a fever pitch, Hippolyta announced in a resounding voice:

"LET THE FIGHT COMMENCE!"

As soon as the words were uttered, each fighter paired up with their chosen opponent, which seemed to have been indirectly agreed upon ahead of time. Mala against Phillipus; Batman against Diana.

Each pair started drifting away from the other, giving themselves the necessary space. For a few seconds no one moved, everyone waiting for their opponent to make the first move. To no one's surprise, Phillipus attacked first.

Gathering up her momentum and holding her mace with both hands, she ran towards Mala, angling her weapon to hit her square in the stomach. If it connected the fight would have been over in seconds, but to everyone's surprise, Mala nimbly ducked her small frame under Phillipus's swing, and swiped one of her batons right in her opponent face.

Everyone was stunned. Diana, who's fight hadn't yet begun, had her jaw glued to the floor. The strike was nothing major, it only left a nasty turquoise bump on Phillipus's forehead, but the fact it had been dealt by Mala made it as significant as a sword to the stomach.

Phillipus quickly shook off her surprise and with an angry scowl started to think up a better tactic, realizing things might not be as straightforward as she initially thought.

Diana turned away from the other two to focus on her opponent, who hadn't moved a muscle since the beginning of the match. His face was an expressionless mask, the lenses on his cowl making him impossible to read.

Choosing to follow Phillipus's example, Diana launched herself at her opponent with a sword swipe aimed directly at his neck. In response, Batman simply backed out of range. Choosing to press her advantage, Diana followed up with a series of swings, which Bruce simply ducked or backed away from.

Diana was starting to grow frustrated, partly because she couldn't hit him, but mostly because his hands were this still hidden under the folds of his cape. He was making light of her, and she was getting annoyed.

Frustrated, Diana started speeding up her sword strikes in combination with her shield to force pressure on Batman. He started backing further and further away, avoiding her strikes with barely an inch of clearance. Finally, as Diana sliced her sword down in a deadly arc towards Batman's head, his right hand emerged from the shadows of his cape, catching the blade on his wrist guard.

Both opponents stayed still for half a second before each took a step back. Diana sported a slight smile on her face at getting a reaction out of this arrogant man, not realizing she was panting hard and had built up a thin layer sweat.

"It seems you're finally taking this seriously", she taunted.

"I think I still need to warm up. Could you continue this for a couple more minutes before we start fighting for real?", he answered with a straight face, keeping his creeping smile at bay.

Diana's eyes became wide as plates, before narrowing into a glare of pure rage and hatred. Bruce frowned ever so slightly. Without a second's hesitation, Diana lunged forward, bringing her sword down with blinding speed.

With equal momentum, Batman swatted the strike aside, getting low inside Diana's defense. Then as he pushed up with the strength of his legs, delivered a shattering uppercut directly to Diana's jaw.

The princess was lifted slightly off the ground, before dropping to the ground onto her back.

The reaction from the crowd was not hard to predict. Shouts and boos filled the arena as some spectators started hurtling whatever they could get their hands on at Batman. Mala and Phillipus, who had been playing an intricate cat and mouse game, stopped their fight to look at the scene in shock.

As the tension in the arena continued to rise, Diana slowly started to pick herself off the ground, leaning on her sword for stability. Her eyes were glazed over, and she was clearly in a daze trying to recollect what had just happened.

However, Bruce had decided to stop pulling his punches, and end this match while he had the advantage. Underhanded? Maybe; but not a violation of the rules. So without a moment's hesitation, Batman kicked Diana's sword out from under her as she was resting on it, making her crumple back down to the ground. Planting a firm boot on her sternum, he looked at her with a serious face:

"Surrender. You can't win."

The audience looked to Hippolyta to have this man executed for stepping on their princess, but the queen of Themyscira simply looked on with a strained expression. Right now there wasn't anything she could do to stop the match without giving in to favoritism towards her daughter, something she had long sworn she would never do.

Phillipus tried to help Diana, but Mala swiftly put herself in her way, determined to keep her focused on her. Batman had been an incredible teacher, and seeing the ease with which he had dispatched the princess imbued her with new confidence.

Diana's vision slowly started to clear as she became aware of the loud buzzing in her ears. As her vision focused on the figure towering over her, she also felt a weight on her chest that kept her from getting up.

When her hearing and eye sight were fully recovered, she finally saw and heard Batman asking her to surrender.

It took a few seconds for Diana to put everything back together in her mind, and when she did her eyes were again filled with a profound hatred. However, it was even more intense than before. It would make most people want to crawl into a ball to escape it.

It surprised Bruce to see her like this, he would never have thought this charming princess to be capable of such a hate filled glare. He was also concerned since he'd seldom seen that look before, and it generally preceded a cataclysmic reaction from the person who was delivering it.

Suddenly, Batman noticed that Diana's skin was glowing a bright golden color.

Before he could wonder what that was, he felt his foot slowly leave his opponents chest as she effortlessly lifted it off.

Sensing trouble, Bruce quickly took a step back, trying to comprehend what he was looking at. _Was she hiding her true strength all along?_ he wondered.

It was only when Diana started floating a few inches off the ground, that Bruce's mind finally flashed back to Hippolyta's announcement before the fight.

 _God I hate met-…_

Before he could finish his thought, what felt like a pound of bricks suddenly connected at high speed with his chest sending him flying into the wall of the arena.

As he focused on the irate Amazon that stood in front of him, Bruce realized several of his ribs had been broken. _Not good._

Before he could open his mouth to comment, a flurry of punches started rocking his skull from side to side. Each punch was strong enough to break rocks, and without Batman's reinforced cowl he would have likely passed out on the first two hits. Death would have followed by the fifth.

As he felt the blood start flowing out of his nose and the various cuts on his face, he looked through his rapidly swelling eyes at the figure towering over him.

Her hair was disheveled and sticking out in strange angles. Her breathing was labored and a layer of sweat covered her angelic features. She reminded Bruce of a mermaid. Charming and irresistible, but deadly when underestimated. _She's beautiful_ , Bruce reflected, his consciousness quickly fading. _Impulsive, petulant and too proud for her own good, but absolutely stunning._

Bruce was almost sure he was going to die. Not immediately; but unless there was a fully equipped operating room hidden somewhere on the island, he would succumb from his wounds in a couple hours at most.

He didn't know what to think about his death. People around him always said he was too stubborn for it, but now that it was within reach his stubbornness was nowhere to be found.

He just wanted to save her. Her reaction was a product of her unchecked emotions, that if she didn't acknowledge, would lead her down a dark path she could never escape from.

He walked on the edge of that path every day, and had seen those that had fallen into it. _Jason…_

With what little consciousness he had left, drew a shaky breath; his expanding lungs pushing into his shattered ribs. With his final ounce of strength, he uttered:

"I prefer it when you smile Diana. You're a lot prettier when you smile."

 **And…breath.**

 **There we go all done. What you expected? Or was I able to surprise you a bit?**

 **Diana and Bruce grow closer and closer with every chapter, but this one is a pretty big turning point in their relationship, but I think you can see that.**

 **Alright well I don't have much to add, apart from asking you to review pretty please.**

 **Also don't forget to comment if you think Bruce makes it or not… ;)**


	11. Chapter 11

**Wow, finally a new chapter.**

 **I don't have much to babble out here, but I want to take the time to reply to some of the reviews that I received.**

 **LifeisCRUEL – Thanks for the review with which I completely agree. Looking at it now it feels like a bit of an unnecessary exaggeration that jumps the gun in terms of the relationship between Bruce and Diana. I must have been struggling to place a meaningful sounding phrase to describe how she was feeling, and should have spent a few more seconds reflecting on that line. Thanks for the reviews!;)**

 **Supermaster51 – Yeah I wanted to show how Diana might react when being faced with the humility of defeat, without having been tempered in Man's world. It seems Batman isn't the only one who hates losing.**

 **Timeless Musketeer – I'll let you read the chapter to confirm your predictions. Hope you are satisfied with what I picked in the end. I'll just say that you are both right and wrong ;)**

Chapter 11: Mending hearts and bones

Hippolyta was getting restless as the fight progressed. Her daughter was being led around in circles and it was clear she was losing her temper; which, in Diana's case, meant potentially violating the rules of the fight.

As soon as the queen saw her daughter propel the man into the wall of the arena, she knew that she needed to act quickly before something irreversible happened.

Hippolyta signaled to her guards to follow her as she leapt over the railing down into the fighting pit. Seeing this the crowd started to whisper amongst themselves, having all seen how the fight had escalated.

Most had heard of the princess's powers, but few had seen it displayed before. They all knew that if someone didn't intervene, that man would be leaving the arena for the funeral pyre. _Doesn't sound so bad_ , many thought with conceited looks.

The queen and her guards ran as fast as possible towards the opposite end of the arena, where the sickening sound of fists connecting with skull could be heard clearly. _Please daughter come back to us,_ Hippolyta pleaded. She had hoped that her daughter had learned to control this part of her heritage, but it seemed her father's blood was going to be her bane forever. _That man will never stop tormenting us_ , Hippolyta thought with pain.

Finally, when they were only a few feet away, the punches suddenly stopped as Diana raised her fist high above her head, preparing to end it all.

A few seconds passed and the punch didn't fall. Hippolyta slowly moved to her daughter's side and laid a soothing hand on her shoulder.

Slowly, Diana turned to her mother and what she saw broke her heart. Her little sun and stars was completely haggard from the fight, her hands covered in blood, but her eyes told the greater story. They were filled with regret and fear, tears just brimming and slowly starting to roll down her cheeks.

Without a word, Hippolyta kneeled next to her daughter and wrapped her in a warm embrace. Diana weakly gripped her mother's cloak, staining it crimson, as she gently leaned into her mother's embrace, savoring the warmth that made her feel so safe when she was young.

After a few minutes, the queen felt her daughter's even breathing, indicating that she was asleep. With care she stood up, gently holding her sleeping daughter in her arms.

Looking down at the body of the bat, Hippolyta was amazed he was still alive. She could see some of his ribs were broken, but his face was also a mess. His eyes were swollen shut, large gashes were bleeding onto the ground and his mouth was filled with gore. Although the strangest thing about the latter, was that a smile was firmly set on his unconscious face. _They don't know when to quit_ , Hippolyta thought wistfully.

With a head motion she signaled her captain of the guards to come over. In a hushed voice, the queen ordered:

"Take the man to our healers immediately; and tell them they should prepare offerings and prayers to Apollo, I fear that is all that can save him now. Once we are gone, have everyone disperse back to their regular activities. If anyone asks, tell them that nothing will be decided at the present time. However, you can tell them that Mala has won the match."

The latter was staring in shock at everything that had unfolded in the last couple of minutes. She and Phillipus had long stopped fighting as all their attention had been drawn to the spectacle happening before them.

She couldn't care less about the outcome of the match. She had just seen her best friend and mentor get completely destroyed; one mentally and the other physically. Tears slowly started rolling down her face as the emotions of the day caught up to her. She started shacking slightly until Phillipus placed a firm hand on her shoulder.

Mala looked at her with questioning eyes, but she simply looked forward with a determined expression as Diana and Batman were carried out of the arena.

With a small smile, Mala placed her hand over her opponent's, silently thanking her for her strength. This whole journey had been extremely taxing and demanding; but she felt like she was a new person. No longer everyone's punching bag, but someone that could proudly stand alongside them as their sister.

Hippolyta couldn't help but be impressed by what Mala had achieved today. After only a couple days of training she was able to hold her own against Phillipus. _Then again, she did have a special teacher…_ , Hippolyta reflected.

She could worry about these things later. Now was the time for healing.

* * *

Bruce felt… terrible. Arguably a tame word to describe his condition, but his brain was in too much turmoil to come up with anything better.

He slowly opened his eyes, clearing the mist of sleep, taking a look at the room he was in. He was back in his room, where the princess had come to see him. _The princess!_ His mind suddenly flashed with the memories of the fight; specifically, the last seconds before he fell unconscious.

It was clear he was going to have to need a to discuss things with her. Not so much on her being a meta or beating him, but his blunder right before he passed out. _Why did you say that idiot? Has her kicking the crap out of you given you brain damage?_

While this sudden revelation of his feelings was annoying, Bruce also knew that he needed to talk to her about her… loss of composure, to put it nicely. It was especially worrying because it had seemed like she was being possessed by a different person, or as if a second personality had suddenly manifested itself in her.

 _OK but more importantly, how the hell am I even alive right now?_

Suddenly he was snapped out of his thoughts when he felt a hand on his chest. He quickly grabbed whoever's wrist it was and turned his eyes to his mystery guest. What he saw… confused him.

It was a man. About his age. With golden blond hair, and eyes the same color that seemed to be constantly analyzing everything they saw, much like Bruce's. He wore a white toga, with a lyre strapped to his back. Bruce could already tell who this was, but he was careful to announce his theory, lest he be told that he was actually just in heaven.

As if reading his thoughts, the man smiled to him and spoke:

"I am Apollo, Bruce. God of light and music, amongst other things. You are alive in case you're wondering."

His smile was like a lightbulb shining directly onto Bruce's face. Any other person would have just about a thousand questions that they needed to ask, as their whole world view was reshaped in less than a minute; but Bruce had encountered more unrealistic things. Instead he chose to get to the point:

"I'm guessing you're the one that healed me?"

"Indeed I am."

"All right. Why?"

Apollo gave him a look that said 'duh, it's in the name stupid'. Bruce scoffed before continuing:

"If you and whoever else you hang out with were interested in helping me, you had several opportunities to do it before, but you didn't."

Heaving a sigh, but still keeping his smile, Apollo responded:

"Yes well let's just say things are complicated. There are rules that we have to follow, and not meddling in human affairs is definitely high on the list. However, it is possible to bend the rules as long we don't break them. You'd understand, right?"

He gave Bruce a wink before continuing:

"I am one of many who is interested in seeing you succeed. So to ensure you didn't die from your brain being filled with blood, the others created a distraction so I could sneak in here and heal you."

Apollo turned to noises that could be heard down the hall.

"I'm afraid I must take my leave. I told the Amazons you were healed, and a certain someone should be arriving any minute."

He winked again, much to Bruce's annoyance.

"Watch yourself Batman. If this ever happens again I can't guarantee I'll be able to heal you, and the way things seem to be unfolding, war may be inevitable. I am the God of prophecies you know. I am certain that Ares is plotting an attack on Themyscira. The Amazons need to be ready, or you won't stand a chance."

Before Bruce could question him more, Apollo disappeared in a flash of light as the door to the room swung open.

Standing in the doorway was the Amazonian princess in all her splendor. She was so mesmerizing, Bruce couldn't help but stare in awe, momentarily forgetting Apollo's warning. _She truly is something else_ , he thought wistfully with a smile.

As soon as she laid eyes on him, her eyes filled with guilt once again. She struggled to meet his eyes. Apollo may have healed him, but she knew what she had done. Even if the damage was gone, the memory of inflicting it was scarred painfully in her mind. She had to apologize to him, she just couldn't find a way to put it into words.

"You don't have to apologize to me princess. So why don't you stop standing there like a statue and have a seat.", Bruce interrupted, gesturing to a chair by his bed.

She quickly took several steps forward to protest, but Bruce raised his hand to show he wasn't done. He motioned for her again to sit down, which she did grudgingly.

"I don't want you to apologize because nothing was your fault. I intentionally goaded you to get you to lose your cool. It was my arrogance that lead to my defeat. I don't want you to apologize to me, but I do want you to listen to what I have to say because I think it could help both of us. First I'll need you to look at me instead of the floor."

Slowly, Diana raised her head to look into his crystal blue eyes. What she saw shook her profoundly. There was no grudge or vengeance, instead he seemed to have empathy for what she was experiencing, as if he'd seen this all before.

Steeling her gaze, she nodded her head. With a smile Bruce eased into his bed before he spoke:

"You're well trained. I can see that. Everyone can. Even before we fought I could tell you knew what you were doing. Oral delivery, posture, all those things show when a person is confident in their abilities. The problem is that you've let your powers take center stage. Powers are meant to compliment technique and training, never replace it. Your lapse in training is why I was able to hurt you, and your lack of training with your powers is what made you hurt me. So what I ask of you, is that you train. Together I know that we can both learn something. You are kind, gentle and caring. I've seen how much you care for the people who serve you. And its people like you who I feel most comfortable with possessing such vast amounts of power. I can't just watch you get destroyed and controlled by this power you've been gifted. I can't accept that. So please Diana, let's help each other."

She was completely taken back. She would never have expected this man to lay everything out like this. _No. He isn't just a man. His name is Bruce_. She had wasted too much time on how to approach him because he was a man, but Diana now realized that it meant nothing what gender he was. He was so similar to her. He held up the Amazonian ideals as well as any of her sisters, especially after today. She also couldn't but help but blush at hearing her name spoken from his lips.

She wanted to tell him everything. About her father, about the true reason why she had lost control, but she couldn't find the will. This moment was prefect and she did not want to give him anything more to worry about. She would deal with her demons herself; she needn't get him involved.

Without hesitation, she grasped one of his hands firmly and looking straight into his eyes said:

"Let's do it Bruce. I accept your offer. From now on we'll train side by side. Not as man and woman, but as warriors."

Bruce was stunned by her quick acceptance and how she used his first name. Like her, the sound of his name coming from her caused a tinge of red to appear on his cheeks. With a smile creeping on his lips he answered:

"Let's get started princess."

 **And… breathe.**

 **There we are, another chapter. To everyone's surprise I'm sure, Bruce is all fixed up. I feel it could be a very literal deus ex machina, but Apollo's arrival also allows me to introduce some future story elements such as one of the antagonists… Yes, you heard me I did say "one of". MY LIPS ARE SEALED I'M SORRY! I promise in the next chapter you'll get answers regarding who else is involved, but in the meantime try guessing who it could be.**

 **Thank you for all the love and support, you guys are awesome and I am happy at how the story is progressing.**

 **Please review.**


	12. Chapter 12

**BAM! A beautiful chapter for all you hungry readers.**

 **Now that the fight is over we get to see some of the fallout, as we get ready to start the next act. Those of you waiting for those sweet sweet BM WW moments, hold tight they aren't far away.**

 **Thank you for all the reviews and encouragement. You all rock.**

Chapter 12: An appropriate punishment.

Once Diana and Bruce had finished their heart to heart, they made their way to the meeting to discuss the last couple of hours.

Bruce was walking slowly. Being brought back from near death was cool, but it left your body pretty stiff as it adjusts to the change. He refused Diana's offer to carry him to the throne room. He hated when Clark proposed it, and he needed to stay consistent; he still had an image to maintain.

When they arrived to the meeting, everyone else was already here. They consisted of Hippolyta, Mala, Phillipus and Artemis. Each one sporting a different expression.

Mala's eyes were heavy with concern and compassion, but brightened when she saw Bruce looking completely healed. He gave her a small wave and smile, to which she responded in kind. Diana checked herself mentally, remembering that this was just how they interacted.

Phillipus's gaze was firmly set on analyzing the patterns of the marble table. She still wore her 'no nonsense' expression, but it seemed to be greatly tempered compared to previous meetings. Her eyes no longer seemed to hold hatred, and her jaw was relaxed, giving her face a more peaceful air.

Artemis no longer smirked and winked at everyone in sight. She had a straight, professional look on, prepared to get down to nitty gritty of the issue at hand. While she was witty and sarcastic most of the time, she knew how to be serious and focused when the task required it. She did spare a sympathetic glance towards Bruce and Diana when they walked in.

Finally, Hippolyta's features were quasi unreadable. As queen, she had developed an unreadable poker face to be able to deal with conflicts with as much detachment as possible; but here it seemed more that there were many conflicting emotions inside her and she couldn't choose which one to express.

She nodded to the two new arrivals, before gesturing for them to sit. Once everyone was at their places, she began:

"I have summoned you all here to discuss recent events and issues concerning most of you. I would like for us to begin with the most important one: yesterday's fight. Let me first… congratulate Bruce Wayne and Mala for their victory."

The way she pronounced those last words sounded like she was trying to cough up a hairball. She was clearly uncomfortable having to congratulate a man of all people, but she had to put her pride aside and acknowledge the outcome of the match.

There where brief nods from everyone around the table, but no further celebration. The victory was hardly what was on everyone's mind.

"Now that that is out of the way, I'd like to move to the main issue: Diana's breach of the rules of the duel. You swore on your honor that you would not use your powers daughter, yet you broke your vow and nearly got one of your opponents killed."

Diana looked down to the floor in silence. She didn't have anything to respond because there wasn't anything to say. She had let her emotions control her, and as a result someone nearly died.

"This is a serious offence, and it gives me no pleasure to do this, but you must be punished."

The worry in the room was palpable. No one wanted to see the princess suffer for her mistake, but rules had to be applied equally to all. Even princesses. That being said, everyone was hoping for some kind of alternative.

Just as Hippolyta was about to continue, all eyes turned to Bruce who had his hand raised like a schoolboy waiting to answer a question. The kind of schoolboy who could send their teacher to the ER if they gave him detention.

Raising her brow in question, the queen turned her attention to him.

"What is it?"

"Would you object if I took charge of her punishment?"

Silence.

Everyone was frozen in total disbelief. Artemis was the first to recover and catch on to what was being done. Quick as Flash she said:

"I second this decision."

This snapped everyone out of their trances as Hippolyta seemed ready to draw her sword. She immediately protested:

"Absolutely not! This is none of your business man. This is an Amazon affair."

"With all due respect, considering I was the victim of her loss of composure, I feel it's very much my business."

Hippolyta's eyes bored into him, telegraphing to stop pursuing this immediately; but he held his ground and her gaze with an equally determined look.

"I agree with Bruce mother. I swore on my honor that I would protect him while he was on Themyscira, and I swore on my honor that I would not use my powers in our fight. I have violated two oaths towards him and I feel it puts me at his mercy in terms of punishment."

The queen was at a loss for words. _My daughter, willingly surrendering to punishment from a man!_ This couldn't be happening. While Bruce Wayne seemed honorable enough (emphasis on "enough), Hippolyta wouldn't allow him to leverage that kind of influence over her own daughter.

Unfortunately, she was at an impasse. Two members of her council were in favor of this, and Phillipus hadn't exactly expressed any opposition. Hippolyta needed to find some sort of compromise.

"How would you punish her?"

"By training her to use her powers, as well as hone her skills in combat."

Silence. Again.

Everyone began to understand Bruce's mindset with this. None of them wanted to see Diana get punished, but they were obligated by law to do so. While training, in itself, wasn't a punishment; if it were to be handed out by a member of the reviled male race, it would likely qualify as such in the eyes of the Amazons.

Slowly everyone started nodding their head in understanding. Even Hippolyta was impressed by his thinking.

"Very well Bruce Wayne. We will let you be responsible for Diana's… 'punishment'."

"Thank you queen Hippolyta."

Diana couldn't help smile at the entire exchange. Before their fight she would have protested fervently against being 'trained' by a man; but since then she'd seen and experienced his style of combat. It had brought to light the flaws in her technique, as well as her emotional imbalance. If she could get help from him, she'd seize the opportunity.

"I would also like to give training to your Amazon troops as well."

Silence. Definitely a theme throughout this meeting.

Before anyone started shouting, Bruce quickly explained his reasons:

"Your Amazons are skilled. I am not denying that. I can even say with certainty that they are one of the best armies on Earth. However, your training has become ineffective and outdated. After hundreds of years of repetition, you are all physically prepared for war, but tactically and psychology you aren't.

You've lost your battle instinct and awareness. Fighting your sisters day after day, week after week, for several hundred years has made you fall into a pattern. You are like machines. Very proficient within the specific parameters you have been programmed with; but unable to adjust to anything that falls outside your realm of familiarity. Like me.", Bruce finished with a small smirk; to which most responded with exaggerated eye rolls.

"Another problem is that technology has progressed a great deal since ancient Greece. Weapons are deadlier, easier to wield and much more powerful than a sword or a bow. I can't provide you with anything to help you on that front, but I can provide you with skills in how to counteract and work around these weapons. I have faced men who had much stronger armor and much bigger weapons, but they all fell with a simple pair of fists."

"Speaking of which, have you determined who is this enemy we would be facing?", Phillipus inquired, to everyone's surprise.

Bruce paused. He had run out of possibilities on who it could be. There was only one person left who fit the bill.

"I am certain that it is Ra's al Ghul. He's an eco-terrorist who wants to cleanse the world to bring it to a state where it can be guided towards a brighter future; with him at the head of course. That's a generous way of calling him a delusional war lord with dreams of world domination. He uses something a pool called the Lazarus pit to keep himself alive across centuries."

Suddenly, the Amazons started glancing at one another with worried looks. Bruce picked up on it and looked to Hippolyta for an answer.

"We have heard the name Ra's al Ghul before. Back in the time when we still lived in the outside world, my Amazons had an encounter with his League of Assassins. It had only just been formed, but we all saw the undying loyalty and fanaticism it's members held towards their leader. We were able to push them to retreat, but not before Ghul swore a blood oath to have his revenge on the Amazons."

A heavy silence filled the room. Bruce was slowly digesting this new information. _Ra's never was one to abandon a scheme for vengeance. This is personal, but knowing him there is clearly more to it._

Putting that aside, Bruce decided to broach his other theory concerning who would be involved in this war.

"I think he may have teamed up with Ares."

Everyone looked at Bruce incredulously. They were initially surprised that he so casually mentioned one of their deities after clearly showing his disbelief towards them. Beyond that they were concerned about this news. Ares's evil and cruelty was no mystery to them. It made sense he would team up with Ra's; they were a match made in hell.

Finally, Phillipus broke the silence.

"My queen, it seems the situation is more complicated then we'd initially thought. We have beaten Ares and Ra's in the past; however, if they are working together, we risk being overwhelmed. Which is why I also support Wayne's idea of training our sisters."

Silence. Silence. Silence.

Phillipus agreeing with a man? Tartarus had officially frozen over.

Hippolyta saw the inevitable result of this discussion. She didn't like the idea, but after this new information she would be foolish not accepting help. Their enemies were forming a partnership? So would they.

"I would like to hear what Mala has to say about all this.", Hippolyta said turning towards the young girl.

She fiddled anxiously with a lock of hair, as five pairs of eyes turned to her expectantly. Seeing Bruce and Diana's encouraging smiles, as well as Phillipus' determined nod, she spoke.

"My queen, I think we should take Bruce up on his offer. He was able to turn me from a hopeless fighter, to being able to stand toe to toe with Phillipus in a matter of days. Think of what he could accomplish with seasoned warriors and more time."

Hippolyta nodded her head. She just had one more question she needed to ask.

"While I am sure that Mr. Wayne's training helped; no teacher regardless of how skilled, would be able to imbue a student with an instinctual sense of combat. Yet yours was put on full display. How is that?"

"I believe I can answer that your highness.", Bruce cut in. "Mala was never meant to follow your training. She has a keen sense of observation and battle planning, as well as battle strategy. Her style is to take out enemies precisely and efficiently with as few strikes as possible; much like myself.

I think she was sent to you in the hopes that you would realize her skill set, and subsequently change your way of training your troops. However, you simply chalked up her lack of brute strength and head on fighting as weakness, instead of seeing her engrained proficiency for swift and precise tactics."

Everyone was silent. They were definitely peeved at having their flaws exposed by a man, but his logic was solid.

Hippolyta had no more hesitation, so she concluded.

"Very well. Since I see no objections. By royal decree, Bruce Wayne of Gotham City will now be the Amazon army's new trainer."


	13. Chapter 13

**And bam a new chapter for all you hungry readers.**

 **Bruce starts his first day as the Amazons new head coach and things will definitely get more interested. He and Diana's relationship will also start taking center stage a little more, especially in the next chapter.**

 **Sorry I don't have much to add, it's 1 AM right now and I really want to get this out to you all.**

 **Thanks for any reviews! Enjoy the ride**

Chapter 13: I've got this feeling

Once the decision had been made, everyone went off in a different direction to prepare for the next day.

Artemis and Phillipus volunteered to announce the plan to their troops. It would be easier if they were the ones delivering the news. It was decided that since Bruce training every single Amazon was impossible; that he would train a small group made up of the island's strongest warriors, and they would pass on what they'd learned to the others.

Of course, this was all in theory. It could also just as easily turn into a revolution; so it was agreed upon that Diana should accompany Artemis and Phillipus to help smooth things over. Mala tagged along as well.

That only left Bruce and Hippolyta. The former also left after being told where to find his confiscated escape pod. He might just find some things that could be of use in training the Amazons.

It only left Hippolyta, who heaved a long sigh, while sending up a silent prayer to the Gods. _Please let this be the correct course to take…_

* * *

It had taken a lot of convincing to get the Amazons to come for Bruce's training. Meaning it had taken screaming and arguing from both parties, until Diana had enough and placed said that anyone that refused would be going against the will of the Gods. This ended the debate quickly.

An hour later, fifteen Amazons were gathered in the exercise area on the beach. They all sported looks that ranged from bored to hateful. No one was even attempting to act like they were interested.

They were in for an entire week of specialized training from Bruce. After which they were expected to integrate what he had taught them into new training drills for the rest of the Amazon army. That was theoretically what was supposed to happen.

Diana knew, however, that things wouldn't be so simple. It was visible on her sister's faces that they were determined to give Bruce a hellish experience. She wasn't worried for Bruce, he had already more than proven he could handle high pressure situations. Diana was more concerned that her sister's stubbornness would keep them from learning things that could save their lives and others.

The Amazons were all here, as well as Artemis, Phillipus, Mala and Diana to oversee the training as well as take part in it. The only person that was missing was the trainer. Bruce had disappeared earlier saying that he'd meet them here, but he still hadn't shown up.

The others had also noticed his absence and were muttering amongst themselves about leaving, when out of nowhere a loud "BOO" was heard behind the group. It caused many of the Amazons to jump back in surprise and some to let out very un-warrior like squeals.

Casually, Bruce slipped through the crowd ignoring the death glares and curses he received and faced the group with a serious expression. He was dressed in the clothes they had given him, his Batsuit being temporarily out of commission.

Before anyone could speak, he began:

"That right there is part of your fundamental weakness as a fighting force. You focus too much on winning through fighting strength and prowess, and neglect any tactical or silent approach to conflicts. Your fighting style is also too predictable. You've lost your ability to improvise and be creative in battle, due to centuries of peace. The purpose of this week of training is to bring back the Amazons that fought Ares and Ra's al Ghul all those centuries ago, with an extra twist of stealth and planning.

I will get straight to the point so we all don't waste each other's time over puerile bickering. I am not trying to show disrespect or condescend to you on how to fight or win a war. I only want to give you tools to help you better face the enemy. Think of it as sharpening a sword or reinforcing some armor."

The Amazon's apprehension was still present, but their body language was already more relaxed and open. They looked to one another, and seeing that no one was storming off in outrage, all nodded their heads and grumbled their consent.

With a smile, Bruce clapped his hands together.

"Very well. Your first exercise starts right now. I am going to run off and hide in the forest. You will give me thirty seconds head start, and then commence your search. If you have not found me after two hours, come back here."

As soon as he told them this, devilish smiles started forming on the Amazon's faces. They cracked their knuckles and started stretching their legs, eager to put him in his place.

On Artemis's command, Bruce leapt into the forest, quickly blending into the green and out of sight in seconds. At Artemis's second command, the Amazons entered the forest, quickly disappearing from sight as well.

This left Artemis, Phillipus, Diana and Mala on the beach, feeling somewhat awkward from the sudden lack of activity. They all came to the training because they had to supervise the others, but it was now clear they were hoping to get in on the action as well.

They had decided to abstain from this exercise, since the goal was for their other sisters to get more comfortable with Bruce's presence and teaching. They knew that if they participated, they would give their sisters an unfair advantage over Bruce.

Finally, Phillipus wrapped an arm around Mala's slender waist and hoisted her over her shoulder as she walked towards the training grounds.

"Come on half-pint, you've missed out on enough training already."

"By the way Philly, how's your bump healing up?"

As the large Amazons growled to her younger sister, Diana and Artemis couldn't help their laughter. The two had been polar opposites before, but now they talked and bickered as if they were longtime rivals.

"He's something isn't he?"

Diana quickly turned her head to her sister with a look of confusion and apprehension. Whenever Artemis decided to play the pronoun game, it generally meant she had a goal in mind. Against her better judgment, knowing perfectly well who she was referring to, she decided to take the bait.

"Who?"

"Bruce Wayne.", she answered with her trademark smirk.

Diana heaved a sigh. Of course Artemis would set her sights on him. She had a penchant for the extravagant and the abnormal, two words that seemed to characterize Bruce perfectly. However, Diana had to agree with her, he was something. He was unlike anyone she had ever met. Someone who challenged her on so many levels, pushing her to better herself as a person and a warrior. He had won her respect, as she had won his, but a nagging in the back of her mind told her there was more to it than that.

Snapping out of her thoughts, Diana turned back to Artemis who was silently looking at her, the beginnings of a smile tugging on her lip corners.

"What!?", Diana cried in exasperation.

"You were just thinking about something Diana. Something that has you conflicted. Whenever you're debating something in your head your face scrunches into an adorable mask and you start playing with your hair. Although in this instance, I feel it is more a 'someone' that has you conflicted, right?"

Diana smiled. She really was too easy to read. It was something she was regularly teased for, but it also cemented her as someone who was completely trustworthy and honest, incapable of lies or deceptions.

"Is it really that obvious?"

"You could always try waving a sign that reads 'I have man issues'."

Diana stared back at Artemis; eyes wide as plates, mouth agape. She felt her cheeks warming up, as she made frantic gestures with her hands.

"W-what are you talking about Artemis. I do not have 'men issues'. He is a complicated man, that is obvious, but there aren't any more issues that I have with him beyond this."

Diana knew that her tone of voice wasn't communicating any truth, which Artemis picked up on in a heartbeat, giving a disapproving frown.

"Diana; we're sisters. You can talk to me. You can confide in me. I swear on my honor as an Amazon what you tell me will stay between us."

She gripped the princess' hand, looking directly in her eyes. Her usual carefree and light demeanor replaced by a compassionate and understanding one. Diana felt that maybe she could shine a light on what the turmoil in her heart was about.

"It's just that… I'm not sure really. I admire and respect Bruce, regardless of the fact he's a man. I think more and more people are also coming around to that. This is normal. What I can't explain is these weird reactions and sensations I have whenever we're together.

For example, when he first called me Diana, I felt happy; as if the fact he was the one saying it made it different from anyone else. When I first heard Mala call him by his first name, I had a pang of jealousy out of nowhere. There was also the time when I held his hand when I was in his room. My skin started tingling, my heart beat faster and my cheeks got red, as if I were embarrassed by something. I don't understand it Artemis."

Her friend's expression was indecipherable. She simply looked straight into Diana's eyes, as if suspecting she had suddenly become an expert manipulator. The princess was getting worried that she was seeing something sinister in her behavior; but those thoughts disappeared when a wide smile appeared on Artemis's face.

"Oh Diana. Diana, Diana, Diana. You sweet innocent child. The only thing I'll say about what you're feeling is that I think it's something you need to pursue. Continue spending time with him, and you'll begin to understand what these feelings are. Alright let's practice. You've skipped enough training as it is."

Artemis quickly got up before Diana could respond, and walked off towards the training grounds to find Mala and Phillipus.

The princess was left confused and unnerved. Even though she had given part of an answer, it was obvious Artemis was dodging the question.

 _Oh well. Maybe I will try spending more time with him. If he is going to train me that should be pretty easy._

With brimming happiness and a spring in her step, Diana followed after her sisters.

* * *

Exactly two hours later, Bruce and the rest of the Amazons returned to the training grounds; all covered in dirt and cuts. The women all had scowls on their faces as they nursed their various injuries, indicating clearly they were unable to catch him.

As both groups approached one another, Bruce's eyes were drawn to the princess', who was staring right at him. Her piercing blue eyes were like precious gems that he couldn't tear his gaze from. His accelerating heart beat and clenching in his chest snapped him back, and he abruptly turned away, focusing back on what was being said.

"You all look absolutely terrible.", Artemis noted with a chuckle.

Her sisters responded in grumbles and whispered insults, refusing to betray any weakness. Not only had they been unable to find him, Bruce had also intentionally revealed himself, only to be able to harass them with quick attacks before disappearing back into the forest. This had only made their unit more dysfunctional and depleted their moral.

After everyone had gotten drinks of water and was looking moderately refreshed, Bruce clapped his hands together to get everyone's attention.

"All right; well that was fun. Don't beat yourselves up about this. I've been practicing for years making myself undetectable and unseen. Tracking an animal is a very different exercise from tracking a human. We will be doing this exercise on the regular, so do any of you have any ideas about what you could improve for next time?"

No one said anything. They were still not happy about this whole training thing, and were not ready to indulge Bruce by answering him.

"If you think your performance was perfect, then you should have caught me in ten minutes right?"

Before they retorted with some colorful threats; Mala, ever the diplomat, stepped in front of Bruce.

"From the little I saw; it seems there was poor communications between each of the members in their group. They were all so focused on individually catching you to earn bragging rights, that they missed the broader goal of the exercise. They also likely underestimated you, since they view the members of the male race as incapable of standing against an Amazon."

She emphasized her last sentence, casting a purposeful glance to her sisters, who all looked away with irked faces. What she had said was accurate, but none were about to admit it.

"Well spotted Mala. She's exactly right. You need to learn to be cohesive and coherent. A ten-man group can take out a hundred-man force if they work together. Keep that in mind for next time."

Not waiting for a response, Bruce moved on to their next exercise.

"All right. Let me show you some fighting techniques."

For the next couple of hours, he gave everyone a masterclass in various different combat types; helping them integrate them into their own fighting styles. While there was some resistance to his teachings, it didn't take long for the Amazons to become fully immersed and captivated by what Bruce was showing them. By the end, they were jesting and joking with their instructor as if he were one of them.

When they were done, the sun was slowly starting to descend into the sea. Bruce called for everyone to gather around.

"This was a very productive day. I'm happy to see you are all taking this training to heart. Rest up well tonight and meet up tomorrow morning, same place, same time. It won't get any easier as we progress, I can promise you that. We will be doing the manhunt exercise again, so make sure you discuss a plan of attack amongst yourselves. Good work today; you are dismissed."

Everyone nodded and voiced their agreement, and the group slowly started walking back towards the barracks.

All except Diana, who hadn't moved from her spot and was looking purposefully at Bruce.

"Did you want something princess?"

"You were supposed to train me you know. That is my punishment remember?"

"Since it was the first day I wanted to dedicated all my attention to my new students, but now that they've gotten friendlier with me, we should be able to begin your one on one 'punishment' tomorrow."

With a satisfied smile, Diana took a step towards Bruce.

"I'm glad to hear that. There was something I wanted to talk to you about, but it can wait till tomorrow. Have a good night."

"You too princess."


	14. Chapter 14

**POW! BRAND NEW CHAPTER FOR YA'LL!**

 **I apologize for the slight delay, I have been extra busy getting everything settled for this university year, but now that things have quieted down I should be able to get back on a more regular schedule. Hopefully. Fingers crossed.**

 **Anyway I'll let you guys enjoy this chapter and meet up with you at the end. I'll just say that this one was one of my favorites to write so far.**

 **Eere we go!**

Chapter 14: A princess and her knight.

After Diana left, Bruce stayed on the beach for a while. Lying on the sand; looking at the stars.

In Gotham, he rarely ever took time for himself to admire the world around him, since it was usually dark, grimy and miserable; but Themyscira had showed him the wonders life held, if you only stopped and looked for them.

 _Like the princess for example, she-SHUT UP DAMMIT!_

Bruce slapped his face with both hands to clear the thought away. She was at the center of his thoughts more and more, and it was beginning to worry him. He recognized this feeling he had towards her; and he firmly associated it with pain and loss.

'That' feeling he had shared with many women, only for it to be obliterated in the end; pushing him further into darkness and despair.

His thoughts drifted back to his city. What could be happening to it when he wasn't there to protect it? He had many allies that could keep things stable for a time, but if criminals started realizing that the Batman was no longer around, they would grow emboldened and Gotham would fall back into chaos.

No! He trusted his protégées and friends. Even if he wasn't on friendly terms with most of them, he trusted them and their sense of duty. They would not forsake his city.

He pushed those dark feelings away; not wanting to end his day with a bad mood. Instead he slowly closed his eyes and let his other senses experience Themyscira.

The faint scent of the sea, mingling with the fragrance of burning wood and cooked meat, emanating from the kitchens. It was all swept away by a draft from the forest, replacing it with the smell of leaves and sap.

The numerous nocturnal birds and rodents could be heard calling out to one another, echoing and reverberating through the woods like an orchestra.

Reaching out with his hands, Bruce clutched the smooth sand underneath him. It flowed through his hands like water and was soft like silk.

All he needed to stimulate all his senses would be if beautiful lips pressed against…

 _ENOUGH!_

Bruce's eyes bulged open as he leaped up off the ground and walked up towards the city at a brisk pace.

She was on his mind again; and he was getting annoyed.

As he neared the barracks, he passed Artemis.

"Hey Bruce. All the Amazons have finished taking their baths; why don't you seize the opportunity and get yourself cleaned up. Washing in rivers is great; but you can't beat warm water."

He paused for a second. He would rather avoid getting decapitated by naked Amazons he had walked in on. Especially since his relationship with them was just getting better. However, the prospect of a relaxing bath was too good to pass up.

"Thanks for the offer Artemis. I'll grab my stuff and head over."

As he walked back towards the palace, he missed the smirk that formed on Artemis' face.

* * *

After going back to the palace to get a towel and change of clothes, Bruce made his way to the baths.

They were close to the barracks, which were full of activity, indicating the Amazons were all done with their baths.

With nimble and silent movements, Bruce made his way to the grand temple like structure that housed the baths. He quickly made his way inside, already feeling the warm vapor relax his aching muscles.

Placing his towel and change of clothes on a bench, he slowly lowered himself into the steaming water. He wondered if it was infused with some special herbs since as soon as his skin made contact he felt his entire body was rejuvenated. Like a flat tire being filled with air. As he settled into the water and his eyesight began to wander, they eventually fell on a patch of raven hair in the distance.

Wait. RAVEN HAIR?!

Immediately snapping into battle mode, Bruce leapt back in the water, trying to find a place to fix his gaze. He didn't have to be the world's greatest detective to know who the hair belonged to.

"Princess… I know you're not going to believe me, but this is an accident."

"I believe you Bruce."

Actually, Diana had been expecting him. She couldn't wait until tomorrow to talk to him about her feelings, so she asked Artemis to help her get Bruce and her face to face.

Of course, since it was Artemis, this had led to Diana ambushing him when they were both naked in a bath. However, she wasn't going to let the setting influence her objective.

"I wanted to talk to you Bruce."

He was growing frustrated. What he felt towards this woman had to quelled before it grew into anything bigger. She didn't seem to understand the effect she had on him. How the mere sound of her laugh was enough to make his heart skip a beat or how the sweet scent of jasmine and lavender that she carried with her made him light headed.

Staying as impassive as possible, Bruce responded:

"What do you want to talk about princess?"

They were both careful to stay under the water's level as Diana came a bit closer, until they were at a safe distance of a couple meters between each of them.

"I want to discuss…"

She was struggling at how to bring this up. Diana regretted this plan. How could she explain this to him in a way that didn't make her seem like a crazy person. Diana was happy with the relationship they currently had and didn't want to jeopardize it by scaring him away. She would be content with things staying as they are… right?

"Actually it's nothing. Forget about it. I'll let you take your bath."

She started moving away, but was stopped by Bruce's call.

"Diana; wait!"

As soon as he said her name, the tightening in her chest returned as she was overcome with doubt and torment about what to do.

Bruce was also not conflicted. He was afraid of the feelings he harbored towards her, but he didn't want anything to go unsaid between them. Bottled up emotions was exactly what had destroyed his friendships before and he'd be damned if he let that repeat itself. She brought him here to say something important and he wasn't going to let her leave without knowing what it is.

"Tell me what's wrong."

Diana paused. It didn't suit her to avoid hardship or challenges. She had never shied away from expressing how she felt and it wouldn't start now. Although she had never experienced what she felt with this man. Steeling her nerves, she began:

"I… It's about you Bruce. You… make me feel things."

The color suddenly drained from Bruce's face. It felt as though his feet were welded to the ground, his mouth like sand paper. He was watching a film he couldn't pause.

"Each time I'm with you, I have all these strange… feelings and… reactions."

Bruce's voice was barely a whisper, as his eyes began to darken.

"stop."

Not hearing his plea, Diana continued.

"Whether it's the way you smile, laugh or talk, that all make me want to spend more time with you…"

"stop it."

"Or how when I'm near you I feel drawn to you like a fly to a torch."

"princess, stop."

"I am just unable to explain what it is; but it makes me want to be with you, to laugh with you, to cry with you, to l…"

"ENOUGH!"

Diana jumped back in shock. The voice that had interrupted her words was like the cry of a wounded dog. She looked over to Bruce; his eyes were downcast, his hair falling over his face, drowning it in shadows. His entire body was rigid and tense; his hands balled into fists under the surface of the water.

He lifted his head, and what Diana saw brought tears to her eyes; a reflection of his own. A single tear was streaming down Bruce's cheek, rolling unimpeded to his chin and falling into the water. His eyes matched his voice; they were those a wounded animal gave when it was faced with a hunter's bow. Filled with fear, hopelessness, desperation… a crucible of human suffering burned painfully hot.

And suddenly…Diana understood.

She started walking towards him. One step at a time.

A meter away. Half a meter. A couple of centimeters. Bruce didn't move. He couldn't move. His eyes were fixed to the ground, still lost.

Then, he saw her feet in front of him. He felt her hand rest on his cheek. Soft, gentle, kind; something he hadn't felt in years, but was instantly familiar.

He raised his head, connecting their eyes; both imbued with unbridled passion and love. Leaning down slowly, Bruce delicately placed his lips against Diana's.

In that instant; time slowed to a halt. Everything that was happening outside of this bathhouse melted away, as they were transported by this simple kiss.

Diana felt a heat form deep within her, as this simple contact ignited a hidden passion she had never felt before. It was as if the final piece was placed in an unfinished puzzle. She felt peaceful, comfortable…happy. She wanted this moment to last forever. She remembered reading about it, but experiencing it made it all clear; this was love.

Bruce, however, was lost. Two personalities were fighting in his head. The bat was screaming at him to stop. _Remember the others; it had all seemed so perfect in the beginning. Like nothing could go wrong; that it would stay like this forever. And where are they now? Talia? Dead. Selina? Gone. I thought you would have learned by now. This frivolous sentimentality isn't for you. You're a black hole of human misery that snuffs everything out, so do everyone a favor and settle for being Gotham's Dark Knight instead of a fragile heartbroken boy from another life._

But that boy was still very much present. _That isn't true. She is different; you know it. She is the light to our darkness; incorruptible, always truthful and loving with all her heart. Everything we are unable to be, but that we could be if we let her in. We are at the end of our rope; we have walked the line for so many years, but now we are closer than ever to falling into the abyss._

 _So you're suggesting we drag her in with us. Unleash a mentally unstable and emotionally broken meta on the world. Exactly what it needs._

 _You are imagining all these future scenarios of misery because deep down you are afraid. Afraid of what you stand to lose, instead of looking towards what there is to gain. She is an enigma. A giant puzzle that you feel you are incapable of understanding. Well, last I checked, Batman never backs down from a challenge and he certainly isn't afraid. Batman pushes forward; no matter the odds; no matter the costs and emerges victorious. That is who we are. Not a scared boy; not an emotionless shell; but a man who can tell a woman he loves her, because he knows he can face any hardships that may lead to._

Bruce was reaching his breaking point. Everyone in his life he had gotten close to he had ultimately pushed away. He had no right to think himself able to erase all his past failings with the people who were supposed to be his friends, his family… his lovers. What right did he have?!

"You have every right, my son."

No. No, it can't be.

"Listen to your mother Bruce. She isn't one to give false advice."

This is a dream. A trick.

"No Bruce. We are merely here to help set you free. You have toiled for years, to make Gotham a better and safer place. Your struggles and success as both Batman and Bruce Wayne have inspired others, and whole generation of young Gothamites will grow up with ideals you've shown have merit and are worth fighting for. We are so proud of you Bruce."

No. Stop.

"So believe us when we tell you: you have every right to strive for happiness. Everyone does. If you think Diana will be the one affected by you, think again. She understands you like no one else and will love you like no one else. All you have to do is. Let. Her. In."

Mom… Dad.

"Why do we fall Bruce?"

… so we can learn to pick ourselves up.

Tears were streaming as Bruce went to wrap his arms around them and Diana's arms wrapped around him. Their bodies melded to the other's perfectly, every curve fighting the other's.

Their kiss intensified. Their passion now a raging fire. Bruce leaned into Diana's strong frame, as their tongues played an intricate dance with one another. He had one hand over the small of her back, the other running through her wet hair. Diana's arms were looped around his neck, her hands playing with the hairs on the back of his neck.

Finally, desperate for air, they broke the kiss, panting slowly to catch their breaths. Both held unbridled passion in their eyes, but they also shared a mutual understanding that they shouldn't be in any hurry. They had already done the hard part; they could worry about the rest in time.

Without a word, but still firmly entangled with the other, they slowly lowered themselves into the water. Bruce eased his body into hers as the water lulled him towards sleep. Diana gently curled into his arms, nuzzling his neck like a cat.

"I love you princess."

"I love you Bruce."

…

…

…

 **HOLY WHAT?!**

 **OK OK OK, Everyone easy now. I know there are a lot of things going on her but I will simply give my take and then you can leave yours, I'm curious to know what you think.**

 **So yes, Bruce and Diana are together. Careful now the story is still in it's first act so there is room for development is all I'm saying.**

 **For those who feel it is coming a bit out of nowhere: A) Don't worry there are still many more chapters were things can change ;) B) Truthfully their love has kinda been steadily building (both on text and off text) since Diana nearly killed Bruce in the arena. Their feelings have been slowly growing and evolving all this time, and this chapter is the culmination of that.**

 **Anyway, that's all I really have to say about that. Definitely another favorite chapter of mine that I wrote, alongside the arena fight. Big emotional story beats like those really get me into a hot mess ;)**

 **Some of you may have recognized that famous movie quote. Yes, I know it wasn't Thomas Wayne who said it. Deal with it, it's a good quote.**

 **Any favorites or reviews or follows are profoundly appreciated.**


	15. Chapter 15

**Alright ladies and gentlemen, sorry for the delay. Here's a brand new chapter for all of you hungry people.**

 **Thanks to those who corrected me about the Thomas Wayne quote, it seems I should have spent a couple more minutes on my research ;)**

 **Things are starting to move into the second act, so get ready for more plot progression.**

 **Here we goooooooo…**

Chapter 15: Setting Things Straight

Sun was streaming onto Bruce's face as he slowly rose from his slumber. He opened his eyes, taking in the beautiful marble work around him, complimented by the soft mist that accented the shadows and light beautifully. Looking down, a tangled mess of raven locks was strewn about his shoulders and chest, as the Amazon princess slept peacefully in his arms.

…

 _Oh._

Bruce closed his eyes and opened them again, pinched himself as best he could, tried to see if he was displaying any symptoms for hallucinogens, but he ultimately had to face the fact that this was very much real. As was everything that had happened last night.

And it made him happy. Strangely, his first reaction was heaving an inward sigh that it hadn't all been a dream. He was then assaulted by his paranoia that started listing all the reasons this shouldn't/couldn't be happening, but it was quickly drowned out when Diana opened her eyes and looked directly into his.

Any controversial thoughts melted away, leaving him with a single thought in his head: _This woman is the most beautiful I've ever seen._

Diana smiled up at him, a twinkle in her deep azure eyes. Her fingers gently brushed his shoulder, passing over the handful of small scars that adorned it. A warrior's brand. A symbol of his past deeds, to ensure they are never forgotten. It made her slightly wistful she was unable to have them anymore.

Neither were sure what to say or if they even had to say anything. It already felt like they had laid everything bare to one another, figuratively and literally. They had conveyed to each other something that could never be expressed through language.

Thankfully their hesitations were quickly quashed as they heard loud voices coming from outside.

"The morning baths.", Diana squeaked in a panicked tone, her face getting pale.

Bruce sat up quickly. While he was unsure of how to proceed with Diana, he knew the Amazons would have no such conflict concerning him if he was found naked with the princess.

As he quickly extricated himself from the embrace and started getting dressed, he scanned the room looking for an escape route. His eyes fell on a window that would allow him to exit into the forest and make his way back to the palace unseen.

As he was about to turn to Diana to say something, her lips quickly pecked his, silencing him.

"Get going. I'll see you at training later."

Bruce paused for a few seconds. Then, to his own surprise, he smiled. A beautiful, wide, genuine smile. Seeing this, Diana couldn't keep a similar smile off her own face, as her chest tightened. _He really is like no other._

"See you at training princess. Don't stay in the water too long, it's bad for your skin."

Before Diana could roll her eyes, he was out the window and lost in the bush.

* * *

Bruce made his way back to his room without too much trouble, since most of the Amazons had started their day long ago and were busy with their duties.

Looking around his bedroom, Bruce saw his Batsuit, mended and repaired with impressive care. It was given to the best blacksmith of the Island to see if she could do anything, and she had done an amazing job, considering she was working with a material she was unfamiliar with.

Another new detail in his room that was hard to miss, was his escape pod that had been placed next to his bed, effectively occupying most of the living space.

 _Can't believe it took me this long to even take a look at the emergency supplies Lucius packed in._

Bruce started laying everything out on his bed.

-A second utility belt, fully stocked with its standard set of gadgets.

-A flare gun, with three flares.

-An array of survival rations and water.

-A fairly standard survival kit which Bruce no longer required.

And… a small tin filled with instant coffee, tea bags, sugar, hot chocolate and biscuits.

Bruce couldn't help his smile. It seemed Alfred had a hand in selecting the pod's emergency equipment. Even after separating himself from everyone he loved and cared about, his faithful butler was still by his side. He had rebuked him harshly and disapproved of his actions with his loved ones, but through it all, he had continued serving him. Anyone else would have quit years ago, but not Alfred.

With a wistful smile, Bruce put away all his gear before looking over the pod itself. The body itself wasn't really what interested him, more so the reflective panels used to camouflage it. Maybe he could find a way to repurpose them, or better yet, maybe the blacksmith who had fixed his suit could repurpose them. He'll have to pay her a visit tonight.

Realizing he was running late for his training, Bruce quickly slipped on his cowl and dashed out of the room.

* * *

The Amazons were all talking to one another in a group. When Bruce arrived, her received curt nods and non-vulgar hand gestures. _Progress. Progress._

He saw the princess out of the corner of his eye who was finishing a talk with Artemis. He made sure to avert his gaze from that part of his audience, at least until he had dispensed his instructions.

"Hello everyone. I am glad to see you all rested, because today will be even longer and harder than yesterday. We will begin with the same chase exercise for a warmup, except this time you won't be chasing me. Mala! Come up here please."

Everyone was confused, including Mala. _He better not be thinking that_ , she thought.

"Today you will be trying to catch Mala. All the other rules are the same."

No one said a word. Some where tempted to scoff at Mala being the focus of any exercise, but she had shown a pretty incredible metamorphosis over the past couple of days.

Mala on the other hand was looking to her friends for help. Diana gave her a warm smile, although Mala felt it wasn't exactly directed at her. Artemis smirked and gave her a double thumbs up. Phillipus simply slid her index along her throat, indicating she would take part in the hunt.

"Alright Mala; thirty second head start, starting… NOW!"

In an instant, Mala had leapt into the forest and was lost in a couple seconds. At the sight of her speed and agility, some of the Amazons started groaning, but gathered themselves into a huddle to begin discussing strategy. Bruce smiled; _they are learning._

After the Amazons had come up with a plan, they went off into the jungle, leaving Diana, Artemis and Bruce alone on the beach. Before anyone could talk, Artemis said:

"I'm going to go practice archery. I'll see you guys in two hours. Don't forget the princess' punishment. Right Bruce.?", with a final wink, Artemis ran off at breakneck speed towards the archery range.

After she'd left, there was an awkward silence; neither wanting to be the first to speak.

Finally, Bruce broke the tension.

"Let's find a secluded space princess, in case you decide to go wild on me."

He instantly regretted speaking first.

* * *

After walking for several minutes, they found an area secluded from everyone else; which only made the tension between them grow exponentially.

Wary to get them on the right track, Bruce again took charge.

"Alright princess. Before we begin any training, I want you to give me a rundown of what your powers are, so I can train you adequately."

Not missing a beat, Diana started explaining.

"I can fly. I have great strength. I am invulnerable to most attacks. My vision is very sharp. My hearing is also much keener. I also feel like my outer beauty was affected somehow."

At that last sentence, Bruce cast her a sidelong glance, almost sure she was joking. Her serious expression indicated she wasn't, and the fact he had regularly caught himself admiring her face and figure seemed to show the truth in her words.

"Okay; that's a pretty consequential set of abilities *cough cough*. Before we even think about stress testing any of your abilities we need to get back to basics. From now on; no more powers unless I say otherwise. You have to train without using your powers as a crutch, that will only make you get sloppy, as well as leave you vulnerable if you were ever rendered powerless."

Diana paused for a second before nodding her head. She trusted Bruce's judgement as well as his skill; after what they'd experienced together how could she not. That last thought made her heart beat a little faster; she quickly nodded to keep the conversation going.

"Glad you agree princess. Let's spar. We need to reactivate your dulled battle sense. Get ready."

Bruce crouched in a fighting stance; Diana mimicked him. She felt awkward without some sort of weapon in her hand. She had trained in hand to hand combat, but she generally fought with a sword and shield.

Once they were in position, Bruce called out:

"GO!"

Diana immediately rushed forward with a punch that Bruce blocked easily. He retaliated with a sweeping leg kick, which Diana also blocked.

They continued for several minutes, blocking and parrying; neither able to gain an advantage. Finally, Bruce broke his usual fighting pattern, sweeping Diana's legs from under her and pinning her to the ground.

"Submit princess!"

After struggling futilely, Diana finally hit the ground twice, signaling surrender. She wasn't happy and tried to keep calm, but it was quickly shattered when Bruce gave her a prideful smirk. With a grin of her own she grabbed him with her super strength so he couldn't escape and planted a kiss mark, right on his exposed face

When she released him, Bruce looked like he'd just been shot. She would have to thank Artemis for this neat trick she's taught her.

"Alright Bruce, round two. Don't think this is over."

"I couldn't agree more princess.", Bruce answered, a fire glinting in his eyes.

The next round went the same as the first for most of it, except when Bruce attempted a similar fake out, Diana saw it coming and pinned him to the ground, forcing him to submit. Which Bruce acknowledged by giving her his own kiss mark.

This back and forth continued for two hours, after which they were covered with purplish marks and laughing loudly at the other's appearance. Bruce only had some on his face, but Diana had them on her arms and legs. They were both laughing at their appearances, until they began to wonder how they would explain this to the others.

"It's not fair you know. You can cover it up with your mask. I have nothing to hide them with."

"Well maybe if you wore something other than a swimming suit for fighting practice."

"Oh, so it's my fault you say?"

Bruce gave her a sidelong glance, but Diana quickly burst into laughter. A sweet, melodious laugh that washed away all his worries. With a peck on his cheek, Diana helped him to his feet.

"We should join the others. See if they had more luck with Mala than with you."

* * *

Once back at the beach, it was discovered that they had been able to capture Mala. It had taken nearly an hour and fifty minutes, but they were able to catch her in the end.

"Well done to all of you, I'm happy to see you're progressing. Take a quick break and we'll continue with combat lessons."

The others were too exhausted to notice Diana's strange appearance, apart from Artemis who simply gave an approbatory nod.

Once everyone had recuperated, they did combat drills for several more hours, as well as tactical skills and strategy planning. By the end of the day, all the Amazons were exhausted, and quickly dispersed to go take a bath, leaving Bruce and Diana alone again on the beach.

Bruce was about to head back towards the city, but was stopped by the princess' voice.

"Bruce, wait."

"What is it princess?"

"Are you ashamed about what we did?"

All right that wasn't exactly the reaction he had expected.

"What are you talking about Diana?"

"Come on Bruce, don't play dumb; let's at least respect each other's intelligence. We shared something last night… something wonderful that I've never felt before. I want to know if you felt it too, and what you plan to do about it."

Bruce was getting restless. He had felt a connection with her; something strong and powerful that had filled a void in his being. However, he wasn't sure how to process it. Their kiss in the bath had been primal and instinctual, but now that they were together like this, he was unsure how to act. Love was something he had grown desensitized to over the years.

 _All you have to do is. Let. Her. In…_

The memory calmed his thoughts. With a deep breath, he began:

"I'm sorry Diana, for not being more present. It's just… I've been in love before; several times; and each time it ended badly. I began erecting walls around myself, cutting off any emotional attachments because… I was afraid. Afraid that it would break me, and afraid it would hurt others. You've torn those walls down and shown me warmth and kindness I've never felt before; but I suppose old habits die hard."

With a thoughtful expression, Diana sauntered over to him and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Bruce, I don't know what do with these feelings either, but the answer isn't: not have any feelings at all. I love you, and for now that's all that matters. Follow your heart and forget the rest."

 _She should be the detective_ , Bruce thought with a smile.

As they savored a passionate kiss, neither of them saw the figure observing them from the shadows.

 **Aaaaaaand cut.**

 **There we go chapter 15. Who is the figure? Will the Amazons find out about Bruce and Diana? Will we get to see WW's iconic Ice Mocha?**

 **All that and more in future chapters of "It started on Themyscira"**


	16. Chapter 16

**Hello!? Is anyone still here?**

 **If the answer is yes, welcome to chapter 16. Late? Yes, I apologize. Shorter than previous chapters? A little, but hopefully still the same quality (maybe better?). Is absolute trash? Come on, now you're just being hurtful.**

 **So yes I apologize for all those things (not that last bit), I have been eagerly pursuing a drastic carreer change, and as a result I have neglected my fanfiction for too long.**

 **So here, in front of you all I will make a promise (that will attempt to keep as best I can):**

 **A CHAPTER** **MINIMUM** **ONCE A WEEK!**

 **There we go. Fingers crossed I keep my word. If all goes well that shouldn't be a problem. Also I will take some time to respond to comments:**

 **-Timeless Musketeer:** Argh! It always puts me in a pickle when people start making predictions on how things will unfold in later chapters. So to answer your theories I'll say this: one of them is potentially, maybe true. However, only in specific circumstance, that hasn't been reached yet…

Also for the second part of your comment, I try to keep Bruce's secretive brooding self to a minimum just to facilitate character interaction and development. It is definitely still there and has been hinted at heavily in regards to his past behavior of the island. All those things will start being clearer in the next chapter I hope.

 **-TheOriginalOn3:** thanks so much for the encouragement. I hope to keep you entertained and satisfied throughout the next chapters. Your faithful fanfiction writer.

 **-CrazyPhenom:** I entirely agree ;) It's coming for sure, it's just a question of how…

 **-LifeisCRUEL:** thanks for the comments. I am definitely trying to get better at the rereading and proofing of my material, just as much as the writing. It is essential to avoid those small mistakes.

 **-STAR1035:** So I looked up what OT stands for, and I saw it could mean "Off Topic" or "Over the Top". If you meant the first one, I am viewing this Batman as his own thing. He isn't a continuation of his TV series incarnation or any comic book one, I see him as separate. So the fact he's more open, more friendly, all that come from this; and if you don't like that I'm sorry.

If you meant the second one, then yes I think he's pretty awesome. I'm hoping to make him even more crazy and intense as the story progresses…

If you meant something entirely different then… OK, next comment.

 **-Supermaster51:** I agree and thank you for everything you said (except the part about who saw them, my lips are sealed on that one). Batman and WW have always been my favorite superhero couple and they are what made me get into fanfiction. I'm hoping I can depict a strong relationship between the two that works.

 **All right, thanks for all your comments, keep em coming. Without further ado, let's get this chapter on the way. I give you:**

Chapter 16: Pomp and Circumstance

Several more days passed since that night on the beach.

The Amazons' training progressed well. The time they took to catch Bruce or Malla grew shorter each day.

When the final day of training wrapped up, they were no longer the same Amazons. For starters they actually showed Bruce respect, greeting him properly when they saw him. Truly a Gods given miracle.

Their overall demeanor was also considerably improved. They were more on guard, their eyes regularly scanning their surroundings for any threats. Bruce was proud of them, they'd been excellent students and had progressed at an astounding rate.

Just as they finished their last lesson, Bruce clapped his hands to get everyone's attention.

"Well everyone, today is our last day. In only a week of training you have all made incredible transformations. You should all be proud of what you've accomplished. All that's left is for you to pass on what you've learned. Congratulations to you all."

All those present started clapping, some shouting and whooping with excitement. In a collective movement, the Amazons lifted Bruce on their shoulders and started walking him back towards the city.

The other Amazons didn't know how to react. They had also grown accustomed to the man's presence but certainly not enough to parade him like through the streets. Regardless, seeing their superiors so happy was contagious, and before long it seemed that the entire Amazon army was jumping and dancing in the streets.

Diana couldn't stop laughing. The look on Bruce's face was priceless. He was stiffly waving and trying to muster a smile, but she knew he wanted nothing more than crawl into a cave. Being at the center of affection was difficult for him. Not when it came to her of course.

The relationship between Bruce and Diana had evolved steadily over the past several days. Most of the time they had to act professional and platonic, but they always managed to get some one on one time. They'd lay down in the sand, Diana would rest her head on his chest and they'd simply enjoy the nature and each other's company. Other times they would spar together, each fight generously ending with a cheeky kiss from the winning party.

Diana was happy. Happier than she'd been in a long time, and she felt it was the same for him. They'd grown so close; they knew each other's behaviors by heart. It was impossible for them to lie; the other would pick up on it instantly.

 _This man is something else._

Finally, the congregation reached the gates of the palace where Hippolyta was standing with a blank expression. Once the cheers and cries had quieted down and Bruce was back on the ground, the queen stepped up onto a podium to address the crowd.

"I'm happy to see everyone in such high spirits. As many of you may know by now, today marks the final day of training your captains have had with the man Bruce Wayne. Contrary to what some of you feared, they have not turned into lecherous degenerate monsters. They appear changed in a positive way, and it will now fall upon them to impart their newly acquired knowledge to the rest of you, as well as build on them with our own Amazon techniques. You all start tomorrow."

After a round of cheers and applause, Hippolyta returned to the palace as the crowd started to disperses. Everyone was curious to see what their own week of training would bring.

* * *

 _One week later._

Their curiosity had more than been satisfied. Not necessarily in a good way. After one week of training they were bruised and exhausted; proud of their new skills, but knackered by the work it took to master them. Which is why it lifted everyone's spirits when Hippolyta announced a feast to commemorate the end of training and celebrate victory in the coming battles.

As the sun began to set, and its light was slowly replaced by torches, the energy of the Island seemed to be at a fever pitch. Everyone was running around, carrying things; food, plates, wine barrels, all trading hands hands to be brought to the palace courtyard where the banquet was being held.

Bruce smiled; _does the end of my training really require such a boisterous celebration?_ He was watching the preparations from his bedroom window as he made himself presentable for tonight's festivities.

 _Detective…_

"Who's there!?", Bruce shouted as he turned around, crouching into a fighting stance.

His room was empty. No one was there; but where had that voice come from? That menacing tone and particular intonation was that of only one man. The one who always called him by that name, the head of the demon:. Ra's al Ghul.

There was a knock on the door to his room. Slowly, holding a batarang behind his back, Bruce approached the door and opened it in one swift movement.

He froze.

She was beautiful. The princess was dressed in a pure white chiton with golden embroideries. Her hair was intricately weaved, cascading over her bare shoulders. She wore the smallest touches of makeup, but they brought her beauty to another level. Her eyes contrasted and sparkled even more, framed by her long eyelashes. Her lips were hypnotic and seductive, accenting her glowing skin. _Aphrodite, leave this body!_

It was routine at this point, but Bruce was at a loss for words. He'd expected a surprise attack, and that's exactly what he got. Ra's al Ghul could stick a sword through his heart right now and Bruce would likely not notice it, so entranced he was with the woman in front of him.

After several seconds of silence, Diana started to fidget her black locks. Her lips pressed together into a thin line.

"I know I look ridiculous Bruce, you don't have to worry about hurting my feelings. My mother always insists I wear this for important events, even though I tell her it just makes me look pompous and…"

Her speech was cut off as Bruce captured her lips with his. He brought his body closer to hers, wrapping his arms around her waist as he deepened the kiss. She responded to his passion, running her hands through his hair and molding her forms into his. This lasted for some time until they had to stop for air.

Diana looked at Bruce with a bright smile, but Bruce wasn't looking at her. His eyes were directed over her shoulder, his expression unreadable.

"Queen Hippolyta.; there is an explanation I swear."

Diana froze. With a frightened look, she turned around to find… an entirely empty hallway.

Laughter suddenly erupted behind her. Bruce was doubled over, trying his best to stifle his sniggering. This was interspersed with a "you should have seen your face".

As he was trying to calm himself, Bruce felt his leg come out from under him as he crashed to the floor. He was then dragged by his leg to the open balcony, where the princess proceeded to hold him over the edge with his head upside down.

Strangely this only made Bruce laugh even harder; not so strangely, it made Diana madder. She started swinging him around like a pendulum

Finally, Bruce was able to get himself under control and looked up to his princess.

"You need to find yourself a sense of humor."

"The fact YOU are the one saying that is arguably funnier than that stunt you pulled. That isn't funny Bruce. For all the progress you've made in winning over my sisters, finding out that we're together would bring everything crashing down. Do you understand how serious that is?"

"I think you look beautiful Diana. That dress brings out your beautiful forms. The hairstyle frames your face and accents your shoulders perfectly; and those hints of makeup make you so enchanting, you could drop me right now and I'd die a happy man."

Diana was speechless. The anger that was in her a second ago was gone, replaced by a warm blush on her cheeks and a quick beat in her heart. Without batting an eye, she chucked Bruce over her shoulder onto his bed inside the room.

Closing the balcony doors, she headed for the open door.

"I came to tell you the preparations are nearly finished. Finish dressing up and come down."

With a final mischievous wink, she walked out of the room.

Now Bruce was the one left speechless. He wordlessly finished getting dressed, checked his teeth and his hair in the mirror, and headed for the door.

He paused in the doorway. Looking back at his room he spotted what he was looking for. He reached over to his utility belt and slid it around his waist underneath his robes.

Now he was ready…

 **Cut. Cut. And cut.**

 **I know shorter chapter than usual but I've made the executive decision to slightly shorten chapter in order to try to deliver them to you with less delay. Of course that's in theory, maybe they'll end up being longer or maybe I'll be even slower in uploading new chapters… I know don't all thank me at once ;)**

 **Anyway, bottom line is I haven't forgotten about this fanfiction. Yes, a lot of things have been happening in terms of university life and studies, and the other writing I'm engaging in doesn't match the novel style of writing, but I am still committed to see this story through.**

 **Anyway, thanks for all the support and reviews. Any comments and/or favorites are much appreciated.**


	17. Chapter 17

**Boom, a brand new chapter, and the longest one so far might I add.**

 **This pretty much marks the beginning of the second act of the story. If it feels rushed I apologize but I really wanted to progress with the story. I feel the supporting characters are sufficiently developed to start focusing more on Bruce and Diana.**

 **Also I realised after 16 chapters that the lines I had drawn in Word to separated story parts didn't translate when I published the story. I went back over each chapter and now there should be separation in the right places. Sorry about that.**

 **University is progressing well, I hope to be able to continue writing and posting regularly.**

 **Alright let's answer some comments:**

 **-castafior:** Good point. I did rush the beginning because I felt it would be tedious to reexplain the training of the Amazons. Could have done it more elegantly I agree.

 **-Supermaster51:** yeah, I think as long as you stay through to who these characters are in principal, it's good to reimagine them and switch them up to explore other areas.

 **-STAR1035:** hope this chapter delivers on that for sure ;)

 **-Timeless Musketeer:** Don't worry, please continue the predictions. It's entirely possible for me to switch something up if your suggestion makes more sense then what I have planned.

 **-LOTSlover:** thanks a lot, it means a lot. Been a big fan of your work for a while.

 **Alright, let's get on with the story!**

* * *

Chapter 17: Cause for celebration

Everyone was searching for their seats when Bruce arrived in the main courtyard of the palace. The sky was beautiful; not a could in sight. A perfect night for a bit of craziness to happen.

The seating arrangement consisted of a main table where sat the queen and princess, alongside her captains and advisors; and Bruce, and Mala. In perpendicular rows to this table were the rest of the Amazon army.

Bruce walked up to the main table, glancing at the name cards next to every plate. Finally, he spotted the one labelled Bruce Vain. _Looks like the princess isn't the only one who developed a sense of humor._

Glancing at the names on either side of him, Bruce's bright attitude was quickly quashed. To his right was Diana, sitting next to her mother, which wasn't a problem; but on his left was Artemis. The only person on the Island who knew about him and Diana, and with the sort of temperament that would likely end this dinner with his head on a spike.

Speaking of the devil, Artemis approached the table. She was elegantly dressed which surprised Bruce. Seeing the woman he had trained for a week, not in battle attire, but in an evening gown was quite surreal.

Noticing his incredulous expression, Artemis flashed a mischievous grin and some cleavage in his direction. Quickly snapping back to reality, Bruce turned back to his empty plate cursing himself for his lapse in focus.

Artemis took her seat next to him, and determined to torment him a little more, crept dangerously close to his ear and whispered:

"You ain't seen nothing yet."

Before he could answer, Mala and Phillipus walked in; rendering Bruce speechless for the third time this evening. Both were dressed in evening dresses and both rocked their different looks spectacularly.

Mala's small frame was complimented by a tight silk dress; her hair done up in an intricate braid that fell over her shoulder.

However, it was Phillipus that stole the show. Bruce had expected her large frame and tom boy looks to be incompatible with an evening dress, but she had pulled it off with impressive style and grace. The flowing robe accented the right curves and blended away the overly aggressive ones and her hair was pulled into a neat bun.

The two were talking animatedly about something. It made Bruce smile, seeing them grow so close after years of indifference. Suddenly, an idea came into his head, and with a devilish smile he shouted:

"What do you mean Mala is a better fighter than Phillipus, Artemis? I feel you're rushing to conclusions ARTEMIS!"

This had the desired effect. Before Artemis could react, Phillipus was in her face challenging her to a duel as Mala tried to calm her down.

Hopefully that would keep Artemis calm for the rest of the night.

With a satisfied smile, Bruce focused his attention on the nearly full banquet tables. After a few minutes, everyone had found their place. When this was done, a large trumpet sound resounded throughout the courtyard. On cue, everyone stood up strait next to their chairs; Bruce mimicked them.

The main doors of the palace flew wide open, revealing Hippolyta and Diana, both in exquisite dresses that accentuated their natural beauty. Holding her daughter's hand, the queen walked towards her throne as the crowd looked on in admiration.

Once they'd reached their seats, Hippolyta spoke to the crowd:

"Welcome all of you to this joyous feast. Tonight we celebrate the end of training and victory in future battles."

"Don't forget newfound allies, mother.", Diana whispered to her, casting a meaningful glance towards Bruce.

With a small pause, Hippolyta gave a small smile to her daughter before continuing.

"And to new allies, of course.", a small cheer came from the crowd. "So eat, drink, dance and bless the gods."

"BLESS THE GODS!", everyone chanted back.

With these final words, everyone sat down and started digging into the food that was before them. All sorts of different meats and fishes, a variety of side dishes and the barrels of the greatest drink of all for an Amazon on a night like this: Wine.

After only thirty minutes, the celebrations were in full swing. Wine was passed around from table to table and the laughs of the Amazons echoed into the night sky.

Bruce had to admit, this was a lot more fun than he had expected. Where he came from, a party involved sipping champagne, talking to a gaggle of rich blowhards and women who were trying to figure out the fastest way to his wallet. This made him feel like he was back in high school.

After a few hours, the desserts had finished being polished off and musical instruments were starting to be brought in. As music and song started to fill the courtyard, dance circles started to form and pairs of Amazons were waltzing and swinging in rhythm.

Hippolyta and Diana both smiled to one another and went towards one of the circles to start a dance. They were quickly followed by Phillipus and Mala, who seemed inseparable now, likely due to their not so moderate consumption of wine. Both of them were walking in zigzags, arm draped over the other's shoulder, explaining to the other how they'd always liked them.

This left a noticeable gap around Bruce at the table, leaving only Artemis to his left. Before Bruce could react, Artemis pulled him out of his chair and towards the others who had begun their dances.

Bruce immediately started protesting. He'd happily fight Diana at full power again if it meant avoiding a humiliation like this; but of course, like so many things in his life, the decision had already been made. Artemis pushed him into the circle where Hippolyta, Diana, Mala and Phillipus were getting ready for a dance… or a fist fight, it was hard to tell from the way they were cracking their knuckles.

The dance was… intense. It had the feel of a fist fight, but the punches were thrown through dance moves. After an hour of bobbing, jumping and gyrating, everyone was exhausted and ready for more drinks to cool down.

Bruce made his way back towards the table where Diana was waiting.

 _Detective._

Again! That voice. Ra's' voice, no doubt about it. Where was it coming from?

 _The beach, detective._

Bruce stopped. It was clearly a trap. Of course he'd made that assumption in the past, before going in anyway, so this wasn't really the problem. What he wanted to know was the why of everything. Why is Ra's her, why is he working with Ares and what is their goal?

With a determined look, Bruce made his way to a side door and made his exit. Just as he was crossing the opening to leave, he cast a final look back towards Diana, who was laughing brightly at a joke Artemis was telling everyone.

With a small smile, he pushed on into the night.

 _Love you princess._

* * *

Diana had regained her seat beside her mother, as the latter prepared to conclude the feast. This did not mean the end of the party of course, it would continue well into next day.

She had seen Bruce leave with a worried look, but she chose to ignore it for now. He probably just went to get some air. If she went to him by herself now, that would only draw suspicion from the others.

The queen stood from her throne, prompting the rest of the Amazons to do the same; some already struggling to not fall over.

"My sisters, this has been a grand feast for a most joyous occasion. I will be leaving you for the evening and I trust all of you to be reasonable in how you manage the rest of the night. Whatever your state may be tomorrow morning, it does not excuse you from training."

A collective groan was heard from the crowd, as glasses and pitchers of wine were slowly placed back on the tables.

"I know, I know. Before I leave you, I would like to address a few words to…"

"HYPPOLITA!"

The scream echoed throughout the courtyard. Far away in the forest, the birds could be screeching from being woken.

Everyone froze. They all recognized that voice. Centuries had not erased that memory of pain and humiliation.

"Ares.", Hippolyta breathed with a murderous edge.

"YES MY DEAR. I HAVE RETURNED FOR WHAT IS MINE. MEET ME ON THE BEACH, OR FACE DESTRUCTION."

Everyone looked around cautiously. If Ares was here than Ra's and his army wouldn't be far behind either. Hippolyta recovered from her surprise in a heartbeat.

"My sisters, steady yourselves. This is the time you have all been training for. Our enemy interrupts our festivities and invades our home with impunity. Will we let this arrogance go unpunished?"

"NO!", came the resounding shout from the crowd.

"Exactly, so listen very carefully. All squads regroup with your captains and go change into your battle gear in an organized fashion. Be vigilant, we do not know if our enemies have already entered the city. Once you are armed, secure the outer walls of the city and prepare for a siege. All noncombatants, secure our resources. Food, water, spare weapons, everything must be brought to the palace. My advisors will stay here with me, the rest of you get moving, you have your orders."

With a final shout of determination, the Amazon army started coordinating its forces. Phillipus and Artemis, along with the rest of the captains, quickly bowed to their queens, before going off to rally their troops.

Mala was about to go join hers but she was stopped by Hippolyta's hand on her shoulder.

"Wait Mala. I want you to go to the highest tower in the palace and check if our barrier is still active. I fear the worst may have happened. Report back immediately once it's done."

Mala quickly nodded before dashing away into the palace.

The Queen's advisors swept away the food and tableware and started laying out maps on the table. Throughout all this, Diana had flown up to her room and changed into her uniform. She had a shield slung over her back and her swords at her side. A raging fire was visible in her eyes.

"Mother I am going to the beach."

Hippolyta barely had time to grab her daughter's wrist before she flew away. Diana gave her mother an incredulous look.

Her mother responded with a cool gaze.

"Diana, listen to me very carefully. It is ludicrously obvious that this is a trap. Only an idiot or someone with a death wish would walk into a trap set by Ares. You are neither one of them. So please just wait patiently for us to get enough information and establish a plan. I won't keep you from fighting if that's what you're worried about. Your powers will be a deciding factor in whether we are victorious or defeated."

Diana incredulous look had not left her face.

"Mother, Bruce just disappeared outside, and just a couple minutes later Ares makes his presence known and asks us to meet him on the beach. You are right, you did not raise an idiot, but I seem to be the only one who is seeing what is going on here. Bruce must have been captured by Ares and he is holding him as a hostage. That is why I am going to get him and bring him back here."

Hippolyta heaved an exasperated sigh. When her daughter set her mind on something, she was stubborn to the end.

"Daughter, I know you have affections for that man. It seems we have all developed a fondness and appreciation towards him, but we are now at war; and as leader of the Amazons I must put the well-being of my people before that of one man. You know very well that if he were here he'd tell you the same thing. Make the adult decision Diana and stop acting like a child."

Those final words were too much for Diana.

"How dare you speak to me like that! I am not the baby girl you nurtured all these centuries ago, mother. I am an adult; and as an adult I make my own decisions. If you aren't going to help me get him back, fine! But do not presume you hold any power over me regarding the choices I make in my life."

Hippolyta was shocked by her daughter's passionate delivery. However, the Queen had not been ruler for so long by cowering when someone raised their voice.

"You forget yourself Diana. While I may not hold power over you as a mother, I am still your queen. If you do not wish to listen to your mother asking you to stay safe, then I will tell you as your queen to obey my command or I consider you a traitor."

With a nod from the Queen, her honor guard approached Diana, hands on the hilts of their swords.

Diana was stunned… and hurt. She'd always hated it in the past when Hippolyta acted like a queen towards her when she'd needed a mother, but now she was treating her like some common criminal. All the anger left her, to be replaced by a profound sorrow. A single tear rolled down her cheek.

"Mother, please. I have to save him. He would do the same for me, we are like two sides of the same coin. I…"

The words stuck in Diana's throat, but she was determined to say what was on her heart.

"I am in love with him."

Silence. Total shock was read on all faces present. The honor guards were looking to their queen uncertainly.

Finally, Hippolyta's shock disappeared, replaced by a deep boiling anger.

"Daughter, please tell me you…"

"Yes mother, I am serious; and no, I am not lying; we both know I am unable to. I have fallen in love with Bruce, mother; and he feels the same way towards me. He is not deceiving me, he is not manipulating, he simply loves me for who I am. When we are together he is a completely different man, he has made me feel things I did not know were possible. I love him, and I don't care whether you're my queen or my mother, I am going to save him.

Diana started lifting off the ground.

"Wait, my sun and stars."

The name made her stop and look back.

Her mother had an unreadable expression, like she was deep in thought. Finally, she walked over to her daughter and wrapped her in a hug.

"I do not approve of this Diana, and when this is all over we will discuss it in detail. However, at the current time, I cannot find it in myself to chastise you. I can see your love is genuine; and from what I've seen of Bruce Wayne, I don't believe he would try to bring you any harm. Go save him if you must, but before you go I must give you something."

Hippolyta whispered to one of her advisors who came back with a small golden chest. Inside was a glowing length of rope. The queen picked it up and handed it to her daughter.

"This is the lasso of truth. It compels anyone it is bound by to be completely honest. It is unbreakable and inescapable. Use it wisely and hold it high as a symbol of truth."

As Diana touched the coiled rope, it pulsed with a magical aura that she could feel connect with her. She fastened the lasso to her waist.

Without warning she pulled her mother into a fierce hug, before taking off into the sky.

Hippolyta smiled at her daughter's form disappearing into the night, before turning back to her advisors.

"Why are you all standing here, we are at war people; and remember, anyone who breathes a word of this will answer to me."

* * *

Diana reached the beach in a matter of seconds. Flying at top speed she saw a tall figure shrouded in darkness, with a smaller figure standing at his side. She descended and landed in front of them.

The larger figure, who she presumed was Ares, her father, looked fairly innocuous for a god of war. He was dressed in stereotypical biker attire, complete with ray-bands and bandanna around his head. _Those must be useful in the dead of night._

The figure behind him wore a long embroidered cloak with a saber at his belt. His beard was meticulously trimmed and his eyes glowed an unsettling green color. Likely this was Ra's al Ghul.

When Ares spoke, it sounded like knives raking over a chalk board.

"Daughter, so good of you to join us. Tell me; where is your dear mother?"

"Preparing for battle Ares. If you thought you could simply waltz onto to this island while we were celebrating to catch us off guard, think again. We are already preparing for a siege as we speak. All we have to do is hold off your forces until the Gods see through your deception, and then you and your lap dog will be sent down to Tartarus. Minimal conflict, which means nothing to feed your powers."

Ares laughed a deep chuckle. Ra's smile revealed white teeth that stood out in the darkness.

"Oh yes daughter, your mother is very clever. Likely the reason I fell in love with her. You are right, we do have an army. A rather large one actually, parked just outside your magical barrier. They are unable to enter unfortunately. It was hard enough for Ra's and myself to make it through. However, the funny thing is, they won't need to fight or even bother breaking the barrier. Because you are going to deactivate the barrier, and you're going to bust a hole through those outer walls to let my army through. Now isn't that just a peach?"

Diana's incredulous look was back in full force.

"Ares, please don't tell me those centuries in Tartarus turned you senile?"

Another burst of laughter erupted from the tall man, like a hyena cackling over its prey. It ran shivers down Diana's spine.

"No, no dear daughter. Thank you for concerning yourself with my mental health. It is simple really. You will do everything I have just said, or I will send this one to visit the pits."

As he spoke, a magical portal appeared next to him, and out of it fell a badly bruised Bruce Wayne. In front of Diana, another gateway opened in the sand, much larger and very ominous looking.

Diana looked to Bruce with a terrified expression. _You idiot! What were you thinking confronting him?_

Bruce simply smiled through his broken face. His left eye was swollen shut, and his white dress shirt was heavily stained with blood.

Ares picked him up by the throat as if he were a sheet of paper, and held him over the gateway.

"Your choice daughter. Your loyalty to the man you fell in love with, or your loyalty to your sisters. I will get what I want regardless of what you choose. It's all a question of how many have to die before it happens."

Diana froze. How did he know about her and Bruce? Could he have spied on them? If so, for how long had he and Ra's been on Themyscira.

In a strangled voice, struggling to breath, Bruce spoke:

"Don't do it princess. This was my fault. I'm responsible. Your sisters should not suffer for my mistakes. Go back. Help them defend the city."

Diana shook her head vehemently, pain in her eyes.

"Out of the question Bruce. We both leave here together, or not at all."

"Dammit Diana. I'm just a man. A simple mortal man. I've trained your sisters, showed them my tricks… I've outlived my usefulness. You on the other hand are an overpowered flying goddess. Do the math, it's a no brainer."

Ares raised his eyebrows with a satisfied smirk.

"I like him daughter. Good spirit. Good mind. Reminds of me when I was younger."

Diana's hand was firmly gripped around the pommel of her sword, her knuckles were white with strain. She breathed once to calm herself.

"Bruce Wayne if I ever hear you talk like that again, Gods help me you will pay it dearly. You always place others before yourself which is something I admire about you, but you forget to leave anything for yourself. I care about you Bruce and if our roles were reversed right now, we both know what you'd choose to do."

Bruce didn't respond. Then a smile slowly formed on his face. He slowly started to move his hand towards his belt.

"You're right princess, I suppose I am a bit of a hypocrite. I think I'm protecting other's when I sacrifice myself, but I only end up hurting them. That's basically my hubris it seems. I don't want to say I'm doing this because I love you, because leaving you alone to mourn my death isn't something someone does out of love.

So think of it as a strategic move princess. You are the one this Island needs when the fighting starts, not me. I love you Diana, but I'm taking the choice out of your hands."

In one fluid motion, Bruce grabbed a baterang off his utility belt and planted it deep into Ares' wrist.

With a roar of pain, the war god unclenched his hand and Bruce fell into the pits of Tartarus.

* * *

Bruce slowly closed his eyes as he felt himself fall into the depths of the pit.

He had no idea what to expect. From what he remembered, Tartarus was just about the worst place you could be sent to after death in Greek mythology. It was a world of agony, torment and punishment.

He smiled, _home sweet home_.

He continued to fall. He was unsure how much time had passed. Seconds, days, who knows. He had done it. She would hate him forever, but at least Diana and her sisters would get a fighting chance.

Bruce had never really reflected about his death. He'd been in life threatening situation more times than he could count, but he'd never accepted it in such a way.

Where would he go? What would he see? All questions he was curious to have answered. Even in death, his analytical mind didn't stop. Maybe he's see his parents so they could tell him how stupid he was to leave the woman he loved.

 _Sorry mom. Sorry dad. You probably don't want to see me here so soon._

He felt himself grow weak and faint. _It must me coming_. His vision started to darken, and just as his eyes closed, he saw what must have been a hallucination.

 _Diana_.

There she was. As beautiful as ever, in full battle attire with a fierce look in her eyes. He smiled. It made him happy knowing his last thoughts would be of her.

His eyes finally closed as he drifted into unconsciousness.

…

…

… warmth

…

Warmth…

Bruce's mind started returning to his body as he was enveloped in a strange heat that radiated through him and seemed to bring him back to life.

He felt his arms, his legs, his chest…. Something was pressing against his chest.

His lips felt like they were pressed against someone else's… and as he opened his eyes again he saw who it was.

It hadn't been his mind; she really was here. His Diana. His love was pressed against him and softly kissing his lips, tears streaming freely down her face.

Instinctively he wrapped his arms around her as he deepened the kiss.

They continued to fall, still wrapped in each other's arms. Still locked in a passionate kiss.

Finally, they separated and looked deeply into each other's eyes.

Bruce opened his mouth to speak, but Diana placed a finger on his lips, silencing him.

"You are my only love Bruce, and as long as we're together, you will never be expendable. Where you go, I go."

She pressed her lips back against his, as they drifted together into the void.


	18. Chapter 18

**Hellooooooooooo. Is anyone there? I appeared to have disappeared off the face of the earth leaving this fanfiction in limbo for waaaaay too long.**

 **To be frank, I don't want to bore anyone with the how or the why behind this hiatus. Don't worry it's nothing serious, it's purely work related. Anyway, for now, I'M BACK!**

 **There are some comments to which I'd like to reply, then I'll stop rambling and let you continue with the story.**

 **Bystander62: Thank you for commenting so much and continuing to read despite how much my writing made you cringe. Honestly I'm impressed you read so far if it was that painful to read ;)**

 **WonderWomanForEver: Thank you for the encouragements. I have stated before that I'm trying to do a sort of fusion with some of the character looks and traits. It doesn't always work as Bystander62 pointed out, but I'd rather try experimenting and fail rather than just doing the same characters as everywhere else.**

 **SaultNPeppah: YES, there is officially more! Sorry for this absurd wait and hope you enjoy where the story is headed.**

 **Ragnarok666: I'll compliment Timeless' answer to your comment. The way I understand Ra's goal, it's to "purify" the world, but that doesn't mean he isn't opposed to conflict. He'll kill whoever he needs to reach his utopic goal. As Timeless said, no one said Ares and Ra's have the same agenda... DAMN! I've already said too much. Away I fly!**

 **DC Watchergirl: Yeah things aren't looking too good. Hopefully things get better soon ;)**

 **Also thanks to the Guests that commented, hope you enjoy where this will lead.**

 **Alright now that all that is out of the way, I'm going to leave you with this chapter. Please forgive if the writing feels a bit sloppy, I am still settling back into writing this format. No promises on the next update, definitely will be shorter than this one ;)**

 **Enjoy!**

 **Chapter 18: Old faces become new**

After an hour with no news of her daughter, Hippolyta started to worry.

If she'd been captured, the Queen would've known by now, which meant something worse had happened. She pushed it to the back of her mind as an advisor came to give his report.

"My queen, all our supplies have been stocked in the palace. The walls and interior perimeter have been secured. We are ready and waiting for your command."

"Any news from Diana?"

"No my queen, nothing."

Hippolyta furrowed her brow with a worried expression.

"Very well. Keep me informed if you get any news."

"Yes my queen."

The soldier bowed quickly before jogging away.

The queen's worried expression did not leave her face, as she leaned over a ledge overlooking the city she had a duty to protect.

"May the Gods guide you, my little sun and stars.", Hippolyta whispered before returning to her commanders.

* * *

They were still falling.

Neither of them knew how long they'd been here. Bruce's watch had started counting backwards before suddenly stopping and having a laughing face appear on the digital screen. Definitely not good.

Bruce and Diana held securely onto each other, legs and arms locked together so as not to stray apart. They both had serious expressions, but they were of determination, not fear. They were together. Hell or not, they'd leave together as well.

Finally, after minutes, hours or days, they started making out and end to their fall. One that was approaching very quickly. Thankfully, Diana's powers hadn't disappeared, and just before they were turned into pulp, the princess slowed their descent and they touched down softly on the dirt.

Both took a cautious glance at his surroundings. In this place, there was no telling what could happen.

For now, there didn't seem to be any immediate threat. Good time to collect their thoughts.

"Diana, I…"

Bruce didn't have the time to finish his sentence because he was cut off by a sharp slap to the cheek. It hurt like hell, but he simply flexed his jaw as a response.

Diana's expression was one of pure fury, and was quickly followed by a second slap to his other cheek.

"Your insolent, arrogant, pretentious man. That was your master plan? Throw yourself into Tartarus to spare me the choice between you and my people? Bruce, I refuse to believe that life is nothing but choices that leave you sad no matter what you pick. I would have found a way to save you AND not betray my sisters. No sum games are not my thing. What you did wasn't brave Bruce, it was foolish. You are a brilliant tactician and a great fighter, you would have made the difference in the battle for Themyscira just as much as myself. But now, we are both out of the action, my mother and sisters will be left to fend for themselves until we can find a way out of here. So right now, Bruce, I don't want you to apologize, I want you to do what you should have done before: find a way out of this."

A slight smirk started to creep on Bruce's features. With a sigh, he replied:

"You're right princess. It was selfish and stupid of me to do that. I only wanted to keep you safe. I've lost enough people I care about, I don't ever want to lose you too."

The sincerity in his voice quickly dispelled Diana's anger. She wrapped him in her arms, pulling him in for a passionate kiss. He responded to her love, their current predicament completely forgotten.

After a couple seconds, Diana looked up into Bruce's deep blue eyes.

"Of course I forgive you Bruce. You and I are linked. For better or for worse, I will be by your side, and you by mine. Till the end."

"Yeah, no pressure."

They both shared a small laughed and shared another kiss that seemed to brighten the cave ever so slightly.

Eventually, they untangled from one another to decide their next move.

"There seems to be only one way forward. Let's stay close and watch our backs. Keep your weapons out, we don't want to be caught off guard.", Bruce said.

"Agreed."

With that, they proceeded into the pits of Tartarus.

Sulfur permeated the air to an almost unbearable degree. Thankfully Diana was resistant to it and Bruce had a mask filter he could wear, otherwise they would likely have collapsed within minutes.

The ceiling of the caves were several stories high and had a blood red tint to them. Wails and screams of pain echoed in all directions, but they hadn't met a single living thing so far.

Finally, after an hour or so of walking they reached a raging torrent that blocked their path forward. It looked to be quite deep, was about 15 meters wide and much too powerful to cross by swimming.

"Here, I'll fly you across.", Diana offered, holding out her hand.

Bruce gave her a sidelong glance. He looked around but couldn't find anything he could use to anchor his grapnel gun. Begrudgingly he muttered:

"Let's just get it over with."

With a smile, Diana took both of his hands, lifted him off the ground and started going over the stream.

As they reached the midpoint of the stream, Diana felt Bruce starting to move around.

"What's wrong Bruce?"

"Don't you hear that?"

Diana had exceptionally good hearing, and apart from the constant wails, she didn't pick up any new sounds.

Suddenly, Bruce started growing more agitated. He was turning his head in all directions trying to find something.

"Jason, is that you?"

Bruce started thrashing and reaching out towards the water like a man possessed.

"Jason, grab my hand, I'll pull you out."

Bruce freed one of his hands from Diana's grasp and extended it towards the water.

"Bruce stop, there's no one there, you're hallucinating. My grip is slipping, you're going to fall!", Diana yelled trying to get Bruce to snap out of it.

But it was too late. With a final push, Bruce freed his other hand from Diana's grasp and fell directly into the raging torrent.

* * *

As soon as he hit the water, Bruce felt the pain wash over him like a tornado.

It felt as though every muscle fiber in his body was being twisted in different directions. His lungs filled with the liquid of the stream, his eyes were completely blinded.

At first Bruce was taken off guard, but his training took over as he calmed himself. _Pain is in the mind; pain is in the mind…_

"My, you are as good as they say.", an ominous voice replied in his mind.

Bruce opened his eyes suddenly. He was no longer drowning in the stream. He was seated at his chair in the Batcave, underneath Wayne Manor. _What the hell is this?_

In front of him, was a hunched over figure draped in a dirty cloak that obscured its face.

"Take me for example.", the figure continued. "You trained me to ignore pain. To banish it to a corner of your mind that you lock away, never to be opened again. I did it Bruce, through everything that clown put me through, I put away all the pain. Through my death, through the rest, I just pushed it all aside. But I could never be as good as you and everyone has a breaking point. When I hit mine, all the pain that I'd locked away came flooding back like a tidal wave. I tore me up from the inside. I was helpless, alone. Where were you Bruce? Why didn't you save me?"

With those words, the figure pulled back its hood to reveal a brutally mutilated face. Scar tissue covered almost his entire face, and he was missing one eye.

Although Bruce knew he was likely hallucinating, he couldn't stop his response.

"Jason.", he whispered.

A bony hand missing several fingers emerged from the folds in the cape and started picking some of the scabs off his face.

"She seems nice Bruce. I'm glad you finally found someone. God knows I wasted my breath trying to tell you so."

Bruce was trying all sorts of mental techniques to try to break a hallucination, but none were working. _This can't be real._ He looked at the figure with an even gaze.

"Jason Todd is dead. And I know there is someone pulling the strings here. Why don't you show yourself instead of perverting my son's memory."

A low chuckle suddenly echoed across the cave.

"You are perhaps even better than they say."

Suddenly, a flash of light appeared next to them and a man walked out of it, carrying a smell of brimstone.

Bruce cast a glance to this new man. He was immaculately dressed in a three-piece suit with slicked back hair and pale white skin. His eyes had a strange yellow hue and his nails were sharpened like claws.

Bruce already knew who this was.

"Hades."

"Oh yes, you are good. Jason told me much about you. I didn't believe most of it, but now that I see you in front of me, I can see: you really are a demigod."

Bruce clenched his fists.

"Why are you showing me this. Jason is dead, I searched for him for years and couldn't find him."

"That's because he was safely down here with me. No matter how good you are, you can't just enter the Underworld uninvited."

Bruce's gaze didn't leave Hares' as his analytical mind tried to think of anything he could have missed when searching for Jason. After all, he's never found Themyscira until now.

Hades waved his hand and summoned a chair out of thin air. Jason simply stood at his side, avoiding Bruce's gaze. The Lord of the Underworld clapped his hands to refocus the attention on him.

"Let me explain. Ra's tried to revive Jason in the Lazarus Pits in order to use him as a weapon against you. My dearest nephew helped him with this of course and together they travelled to a Lazarus source within my domain. I am the god of death, and as such I dislike anyone who tries to tamper with it. Jason was dead, he should have stayed that way. I tried to stop them, but it was too late: Jason has been brought back. He was damaged, afraid and angry. I could have sent him back to the underworld with a wave of my hand, but I didn't. Looking into his fractured mind, I saw the spark that had kept him going when he was tortured. The memories he has harnessed to steel himself against the pain. Memories of you Bruce; of the other members of your family. So, I kept him hidden in my realm, waiting for the day when you'd happen to stumble in."

The silence seemed to go on forever.

Bruce meditated on his words. He was frustrated will all these new events: Ares, Hades, Themyscira, they all added an extra layer of complication to his rational thinking mind. Still, while he didn't like there was so much he was discovering for the first time, he'd be an idiot to try to explain them away. He'd seen and experienced too much for that.

Seeing that Bruce was still thinking, Hades cleared his throat.

"Perhaps this would help jog your belief."

With a snap of his fingers, Jason started to glow. The bright light made Bruce squint and when it subsided, what he saw left him speechless.

It was Jason. No scars. No bruises. Both his eyes intact. He was dressed in a strange outfit, most concerning of which were the two guns strapped to his side. He decided to ask about that later.

Taking a step towards him, Bruce asked:

"Remember when we first met?"

A slight smile graced Jason's features.

"A couple more minutes and I would definitely have had those tires."

"They're custom built with a bat symbol on it. No one would have bought it off of you in a million years.", he replied with a smile.

He was still struggling to believe it, but the thought of a certain smiling princess telling him to let her in made his decision clear.

He extended his arms outward towards his surrogate son.

"I'm so sorry Jason. For everything."

Tears started flowing freely down Jason's face as he slowly walked into his father's arms and let out a wail of pain, but most importantly: of relief. Bruce had never hugged him when he was by his side as Robin, so feeling his father's arms around him now was like god given gift.

"I always knew you wouldn't abandon me.", he wept soflty.

Hades snapped his fingers together like he'd forgotten something.

"Yes speaking of which."

With a wave of his hands, Diana appeared next to the group.

Startled she quickly drew her sword, but stopped when she saw the scene in front of her: a father being reunited with his son.

She turned a cautious glance towards Hades.

"Do I even want to know?"

"My dear Amazon. Why so cold?", Hades chuckled. "We are technically family you know."

"Well you know what they say about extended family."

Hades smirked as Bruce and Jason made their way over to them. Diana gave the man she loved a kind smile which he returned. Jason didn't miss the brief exchange:

"It seems there's quite a bit I need to catch up on. Who's she?"

Bruce lightly scolded his surrogate son's coarseness but replied:

"Jason, meet Diana."

She extended her hand with a smile.

"Nice to meet you Jason."

Jason regarded her with a critical gaze but returned the handshake.

"Likewise. Are you his girlfriend? Wife?"

If it's possible, Hell seemed to get just a bit hotter. A slight blush suffused Diana's cheeks as Bruce stiffened noticeably as he tightened his grasps around his son's shoulder. The boy looked to one than the other before a mischievous smile started to form on his face.

"Ah, I see. It's THAT kind of relationship."

The argument was prematurely ended by Hades' booming baritone.

"While this is all very touching, I'd appreciate if you could figure it out in Aphrodite's domain instead of mine. My role is just to get you to safety."

This caused everyone to turn to the God of Death. Bruce was the first to pick up on his choice of words.

"Your role?"

Hades silently cursed himself for the slip-up.

"And I've already said more than enough. If you just follow the stairs and go through the door, you'll be back in the world of the living. Although that distinction risks to be obscured soon I fear."

Silently, Batman helped Jason off in the direction Hades indicated. Diana looks after him with a slight frown.

"Don't worry Diana. That man has much larger concerns than thanking a God. You certainly haven't chosen the easiest of mates."

Diana looked after Bruce who was still moving down the path with Jason.

"He's unlike anyone I've ever known and I can feel something has changed about him since our first meeting."

"Yes. I wonder who that could be thanks to?"

Diana smiled lightly before looking up to the man who was technically her great uncle.

"Thank you for your help. The others as well. Tell them we will not fail. We will stop Ares."

Hades smiled benevolently and nodded in acquiescence. With that, Diana chased after Bruce and Jason who were a few meters from the door.

Bruce looked to her out of the corner of his eye.

"What were you two discussing?"

"Nothing you'd be interested in."

Bruce was always interested in talks that took place behind his back, but right now he found he just didn't have the energy to push for more details. Anyway, there wasn't time to worry about that since they'd just reached the door. If this was the real Batcave, they'd emerge straight into Wayne Manor, but since they were still in Tartarus, there was no telling where they could end up.

Bruce looked to Jason, then to Diana, both replied with determined nods. He reached out, pushed the door open and took a resolute step forward.

* * *

Bruce could make out the vague contours of shapes and the feeling under his boots felt like carpet.

Suddenly, a ray of light cut through the shadows as a figure opened a door to the room holding what was clearly a shotgun in his hand.

"Who are you? Identify yourselves!"

Bruce couldn't keep the smile off his face. He'd recognize that crisp British accent anywhere.

"It's me Alfred. I'm not alone. There's a lot I need to explain."

 _We were in the cave this whole time?_

 **Aaaaaaaand done! I was thinking of writing a tease for the next chapter at the end (lots of love to LOTSlover for giving me the idea. NO that joke was not intentional). Tell me if you like that, or if it just gives you a nervous breakdown as you await the next release?**

 **Next up: The Bat family and Justice League are reunited...! (was that helpful? I don't think that was helpful.)**


	19. Chapter 19

**Is anyone even driving this thing?!**

 **Thank you to all of you who are still reading. It is aproaching 2:30 AM as I am getting ready to post this and my limited state of consciousness prevents me from rambling too much here. I can only apologize for the wait, hope you enjoy the chapter and ask to review and favorite :)**

 **Chapter 19, get it while it's hot!**

"Bruce Wayne! Explain yourself this instant!"

The British butler's curt and clipped made Bruce flinched slightly, despite his training. The rarity of hearing Alfred scream trumped any self-control he may have.

He quickly shook off his initial stupor and took a couple steps forward, Jason still leaning on his shoulder.

"I'll be happy to explain everything Alfred, but it will have to be when everyone's present. For now, I think you'll recognize a familiar face."

The butler's eyes fell to the young man on his Bruce's shoulder. A trained eye could perhaps spot a slight mist in the older man's eye, and an even sharper ear might discern a slight waver in his voice.

"Master Todd"

"Hey Alfred", the boy replied with a grin, eyes bright.

Alfred turned to Bruce, the disbelief in his voice evident.

"How is this possible?"

"As I said, all with be explained in due time. In the meantime, I'd like to introduce a less familiar face: princess Diana of Themyscira."

With a confident smile, the Amazon took a step forward, her hand outstretched.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Mr…?"

"Pennyworth, madam. Alfred Pennyworth. And the pleasure is all mine."

To Diana's surprise, instead of shaking her hand, the butler leant down and lightly kissed her knuckles. The action made her smile. _So this who gave Bruce his charm_ , she mused.

An audible throat clear brought everyone back to attention.

"Alfred, what time is it?"

Reaching into his waistcoat pocket, the butler produced a fine silver pocket watch.

"Ten past one, sir."

"All right. I'd like you to take Jason to the cave and look after any injuries he may have. After which, give him a warm shower and meal. Nothing too rich, just to sustain him. When you're done, please show him to his old room and bring some food for Diana and myself. And make sure you don't wake up the others."

Alfred snorted at his master's comment about being quiet but acknowledged the request with a curt nod.

"Very good sir. Here Master Todd, lean on me."

Bruce eased Jason off his shoulder and onto Alfred's. The boy kept one hand on his surrogate father's shoulder.

"Thanks Bruce. For coming to get me."

Bruce paused in surprise. He covered his son's hand and spoke in a reassuring tone.

"Always Jason. Always."

With a smile, the boy let go of his shoulder and limped away with Alfred to the cave elevator they'd just emerged from. A couple seconds later, Bruce and Diana were alone.

The silence was painfully long. Diana's eyes curiously roamed around the beautiful ornate room they were in. A large king size bed took up a good portion of the space, as well as a leather couch and recliner, a grand piano and a large dresser.

A light sniff of the air made Diana aware of a familiar scent. A particular cologne that made her aware who's room this was.

"This is your room Bruce."

He turned to her, removing his cowl.

"Yes, it is. I'll show you to your own room in a couple minutes. It's a couple doors down."

Diana paused slightly at this response, which was definitely not the one she expected. She tried to hide her disappointment, quickly tucking a raven curl behind her ear.

She was about to agree with him when she spotted the smile at the edge of his lips, which morphed into a smile when he saw her notice it.

"Wow Diana, if you're so eager to have my bed, just say it."

Diana's cheeks quickly became beet red as Bruce chuckled lightly at his own cleverness. The Amazon quickly tried to hide her embarrassment and salvage her dignity.

"What are you talking about Bruce. It's natural that a man and woman not share the same bed. I suppose that is one your rules in Man's World?"

"From what I overheard or glimpsed on Themyscira, two women sharing a bed isn't that rare."

"That is purely amical. After a hard day of training it is not uncommon to share a bed with your sister out of solidarity."

"Then Diana, my purely amical companion. Whilst thou share my bed with me after our hard labors as a simple act of solidarity."

The exaggerated tone and the bow that came with it, finally clued Diana into Bruce's motives.

"You're an ass, Bruce."

"Sorry princess. You're just too easy to rattle. How can I resist?"

Diana turned her head in a pout, wrapping her arms around herself in a defensive posture. Bruce smiled softly and circled around to face her, lightly grasping her hand.

"Diana, I'd like it for you to share my bed tonight. I know we've never formally acknowledged it, but I think we are… in a relationship…"

Diana's cool gaze lead Bruce to quickly follow up with:

"In love. Yes, we're in love. And I think that going from sharing a bath to sharing a bed, isn't the most unimaginable follow up."

Diana smiled at his comment and wrapped her arms around Bruce's neck.

"I love you Bruce Wayne, and I accept your amical offer to share your bed. And I will also accept your amical offer to me using your shower."

Bruce smiled and pointed to the door on the far side of the room.

"Right through there princess. I'll see what clothes I can find for you to wear."

With a smile, Diana placed a quick kiss to his lips before sauntering off towards the shower and closing the door.

 _The door bolt must be broken_ , mused Bruce.

He proceeded to strip out his mangled armor until he was only in his boxers. He then started sifting through his dresser, searching for a nightgown for Diana. It didn't take long as his eyes came to rest on a box labeled: SLUMBER PARTY OVERALLS.

 _Damn butler_ , Bruce thought with a scowl as he looked through the box for something that could work. He made sure get rid of the box label. No need to explain that part of his life to Diana just yet.

 _Diana_. He snuck a quick glance towards the door behind which running water could be heard.

He started pacing across the room feverishly but his thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a high pitched scream coming from the bathroom. In a split second, Bruce opened the door and rushed inside.

"DIANA!"

The Amazons Princess quickly turned away and covered herself. There was a large red mark on her back that was quickly fading.

"I just tuned that nob out of curiosity and the water got hot as Hades."

Bruce tried to disguise his smile as he realized her gaff.

"It's called hot water princess. Remember how I told you about it on Themyscira. You have to set it part way and control the temperature."

As he explained, he moved the knob and ran his hand under the water. He was surprised when the princess' hand covered his and when he looked up he saw a mischievous smile grace her lips.

"I was able to figure out the hot water Bruce. Truth is, this was just a ploy to get you to finally come in here."

Bruce stared back at her like she was psychic. She wasn't wrong of course, he had been debating whether or not to join her, he was just embarrassed that he'd been caught. But the princess wasn't finished.

"I suppose you were pacing that room, torturing yourself over whether or not you should join me. Ironic from the man who tried to act all cool about us sharing a bed."

Now it was Bruce's turn to get uncomfortable. The way she'd seen clear through him was unsettling. Maybe he had taught her a bit too many of his techniques.

Slowly, the princess took one step after another towards him, slowly pulling her arms away to reveal her flawless and delicate forms. Bruce's brain ground to a halt, his mind going on auto pilot as he softly grasped her shoulders and they connected into a sweet kiss that quickly devolved into wild, primal hunger each other. The shower was completely forgotten, all that mattered right now was them and the incredible night they were going to share together.

After kissing and groping all across the impeccable marble bathroom (and slipping and falling over once), they quickly pounced into the bed. It was reminiscent of a lot of the times they'd fought in practice. A fight for dominance, but always with playfulness and passion. They pleasured each other in ways they'd never experienced before and after several minutes of passion, they finally laid back in each other's arms, basking in the warm afterglow of the greatest night of their lives.

"I love you Bruce."

"And I love you princess."

* * *

It was coming up on nine o'clock in the morning, and Alfred was wrapping up his preparations of a lavish breakfast that took up the entire 5-meter-long dining table.

 _The bait is set,_ he though, _now we wait for a bite._

He produced a small golden bell and rang it a single time. The shrill sound echoed clearly through the quiet mansion.

After only a couple seconds a pair of hurried feet could be heard scampering down the grand staircase. Tim Drake, aka Robin, came bursting through the doors at full speed, a grin taking over his features.

"Alfred, you old charmer. If you want me out of bed there are other ways you know. Although this one is definitely the sweetest", the young boy said as he reached out for a croissant before having his fingers slapped by a wooden spoon.

"Master Tim, unless you wish to be grounded from nightly activities for a month, you will sit quietly in that chair and wait for EVERYONE to be seated before starting.", the butler spelled out sternly.

The boy grumbled something inaudible before plopping himself in his seat and looking through emails on his phone.

"You know a cattle prod would probably be better than a wooden spoon next time Alfred."

The voice came from Dick Grayson, aka Nightwing, who passed through the doors still rubbing the sleep out his eyes. He sat himself down next to his younger brother, lazily stretching out all the kinks from his sleep.

Alfred finished preparing the coffee and tea, setting them with the other drinks.

"Sleep well Master Richard?"

"Alright yeah. I just got back late. Things in Bludhäven were a bit stickier than I'd initially thought."

Alfred nodded. While it saddened him that Dick had come over to visit just as Bruce had disappeared, he couldn't disguise his appreciation that the older boy was here to help mentor Tim and…

"Have either you ever heard of whispering. It's this great think where you only use your voice at a fraction of its normal decibel range to avoid waking up the person who sleeps just above the dining room."

Barbara Gordon, aka Batgirl, walked in, her hair tangled and sticking up at strange angles. The commissioner's daughter glowered at both boys who quickly avoided her gaze and got even more implicated in their stretches and email replies.

"All right Alfred, shall we start?", the young girl asked.

"Actually Miss Gordon, we are still expecting a few more guests. One of them you may not expect."

Right on cue, the doors to the dining room were pushed open and a sleepy, hunched over Jason Todd (aka Red Hood, just in case) covered in a blanket entered.

"Alfred, I swear you don't have to keep finding ways to put to use your drama training."

Everyone around the table froze for a couple seconds. Barbara was the first to make the realization.

"Oh my god. Jason?"

The boy turned with a small smile.

"Hey Babs."

The girl instantly leapt out of her chair and in two jumps was crushing Jason with a hug. Tears started falling down her cheeks as she tried to articulate the weight that had been lifted off her heart.

"We thought you were dead. It's been… years. I'd lost hop… I…"

"I know Babs. It's a long story, and I'd like to have my ribs intact so I can tell it."

Blushing at her gaff, the girl quickly stepped away. Jason let out a low groan as he nursed his ribcage. He looks up to see Dick's smiling face, his hand held out.

"It's good to see you Jason."

"You too Dick."

The two men exchanged a heartfelt embrace. They hadn't interacted a lot, but the few times they worked together, they'd developed a connections and kinship, much like true brothers.

That only left Tim, who was standing a few feet away from the group, looking over the scene with analytical eyes. He didn't know how to feel. He'd herd briefly about Jason Todd, mostly through Dick, since Bruce would obviously never talk about it with him. Tim also knew that he was wearing the mantel that Jason had once worn, until the day it got him killed. He wasn't sure how Jason would react to someone who was essentially his replacement.

"You must be the new Robin… Tim, right?"

With a surprised look, Tim firmly shook Jason's extended hand. The older boy had a small smile and not a trace of anger in his eyes.

"Glad to know someone was there to keep the old man in line" he chuckled jokingly.

"Who are you calling old?"

All eyes turned towards the voice that had spoken, revealing Bruce Wayne in a t-shirt and sweatpants. But beyond his casual look they almost never saw him in, it was who he was holding hands with that added another couple seconds to the stunned silence.

Barbara and Tim both started tearing up, secretly trying to determine if this was all some hallucination. Dick kept a cool, stern façade, but the ghost of a smile could be seen starting to form.

"Bruce… it can't be…" Tim whispered.

"Better believe it Tim" Bruce replied with a kind smile.

As he finished his sentence he received a fierce double tackle from Barbara and Tim who knocked him to the floor and gripped him in a tight hug.

"You stubborn idiot." Barbara bit out tearfully, "Where the hell where you. I was worried sick, so was everyone else. My dad even considered sending out search parties for you."

"Yeah what the hell" Tim chimed in as well, "Alfred's been restricting the amount of time I can go on patrol and forced me to do more homework."

Bruce paused to look at his two young protégés. It was strange but he felt like he was relating to them in a different way than a simple mentor, which was what he's always seen himself as. He felt more like… a father.

"I'm sorry. I neglected my duties to you all by disappearing like that."

Barbara and Tim were surprised by his response, but it was nothing compared to what followed. Bruce continued:

"I'm sorry. For so much. I… love you both. You too Dick."

And he tightened his hug around both of them. Their surprise was quickly replaced by a surge of emotion from this foreign sensation of a hug from Bruce. It was comforting, safe and, indeed, made them feel loved.

"We love you too dad." Tim choked out.

"Of course we do" Barbara added tearfully.

Bruce finally glanced up to the boy, no, the man who had been his first protégé. He was extremely proud of the man he had become. He just wished he hadn't been stubborn not to admit it.

"Thanks for being here for them Dick."

The young man paused for a moment, looking to the person with whom he had long feuded and argued with, always feeling he was stuck in his shadow. All that past resentment seemed like a distant memory as he kneeled down next to his surrogate father and laid a hand on his shoulder.

"Not a problem Bruce. It's good to have you back."

The man who used to be his ward extended his hand which Bruce grasped warmly.

A couple seconds went by, until Tim finally broke the silence.

"Who's that?"

Everyone turned to Diana who smiled nervously at everyone. Bruce untangled himself from Barbara and Tim to stand up to his full height.

"This is Diana. She is princess of the Amazons of Themyscira where I crash landed after going off the radar. I helped train some of her sisters for a while. We discovered that Ra's al Ghul is working with the god of war Ares to wage war against the Amazons and use them and their island to wreak havoc on the world."

Silence. Just all-encompassing silence. All broken by a single hand clap.

"I believe breakfast is served!" Alfred said with a knowing smile.

 **And... done!**

 **I already know I am going to get disagreements over which members of the Bat family I chose and how I portrayed them but sorry that's just the characters I'm most familiar with and would feel most comfortable writing in a story.**

 **QUICK MINI SURVEY TO THOSE INTERESTED: THE JUSTICE LEAGUE WILL ENTER THE PICTURE LIKELY NEXT CHAPTER, WHICH I HAVEN'T STARTED WRITING. IF THERE ARE ANY SPECIFIC CHARACTERS OR VERSIONS OF CHARACTERS (WHICH GREEN LANTERN FOR EXAMPLE) YOU'D LIKE TO SEE, PLEASE LET ME KNOW AND I'LL DO MY BEST TO TRY TO MAKE IT HAPPEN. NO PROMISES, BUT COULD BE COOL :)**


	20. Chapter 20

**GHASP! Finally came up for breath! It's rounding up on midnight as I finalize correcting this new chapter which, fair warning, is quite exposition and plot heavy.**

 **I already know that some of the choices for characters and character relations will shock and/or offend some people but understand I am doing this based on who I feel comfortable writing about and trying to create dynamics that veer away from the traditional mold.**

 **We are entering the really fun part in the story where the action starts to build for the third act. I am still tweaking and reflecting on what that ending will look like so if you have any ideas don't hesitate to leave the as comments.**

 **I also realized I stopped giving titles to my chapters so I'll give one here and hopefully go back and add ones to those I missed.**

 **Anyway, hope you enjoy the chapter. Please favorite, follow and comment. And stick around till the end where I talk about what you will have seen in this chapter.**

 **Enjoy ;)**

 **Chapter 20: Familiar Faces, Worn Out Places, Worn Out Faces.**

Everyone enjoyed Alfred's carefully prepared spread of delicacies; in silence. No one had said a word after the Bruce's revelation about Diana and had instead gone directly for the food.

Once everyone seemed sufficiently distracted, Barbara Gordon decided to finally break the ice.

"So your majesty…"

"Please; just Diana." the Amazon said with a smile as she put down her croissant.

"It's nice to meet you Diana." Barbara said with, holding out her hand, "I'm Barbara Gordon. You can call me Barb. Or Babs. Or Barbara. I have a lot of nicknames."

"It's good to meet you Barbara." Diana replied with a smile. After a few seconds of silence, she leaned over and whispered to the young woman, "I'm sorry, I never asked if Bruce had partners before me. Are you Bruce's children?"

Barbara was in the middle of sipping her coffee and the question sent it spraying across the table, where it narrowly missed Tim who let out a sharp "Watch it Babs!". After coughing a few times to regain her composure, she regarded Diana with a mischievous smile.

"We are all illegitimate children that Bruce conceived across years of debauchery. None of us know our real mothers."

Tim quickly picked up on the conversation and seeing Diana stunned expression, swiftly joined the fun.

"It's true. Bruce was a real rabbit in his youth. We're only the tip of the iceberg. Rumors speak of hundreds of children throughout the world."

Suddenly, a sharp cough from the head of the table drew everyone's attention to Bruce. His attention was focused squarely on his stack of pancakes but his tone was a terrifying mix of playful and murderous.

"You know Tim, I hear that waking up at five in the morning and doing a fifteen kilometer run can do real miracles for your health. Would you and Barbara be interested in trying it for the next couple months?"

Knowing that Bruce was not the kind to deliver a threat without the will to follow through, both children muttered an apology to their surrogate father. Barbara leaned over to Diana's ear:

"It's more adopted children. Protégés. Apprentices. Something along those lines."

Diana nodded slowly as she looked around the table at the different members of Bruce's… family. The older one, Dick, certainly reminded her a lot of Artemis on Themyscira. They both had pragmatism and a sharp sense of humor; as well as compassion and love for their younger siblings.

She then looked from Jason to Barbara, unsure which one was the oldest. They seemed to be about the same age. While Jason seemed quite subdued due to his injuries after literally being through hell, she quickly pinned him as someone with a constant chip on his shoulder. His resting facial expression could be best described as "disgruntled lone wolf", always keeping himself just out of reach of other people's help or concern. _Reminds me of someone_ , she mused.

Barbara on the other hand, was the exact opposite. She smiled and laughed with total abandonment, all while keeping a twinkle of cleverness in her eye that surmised an ability to be calm and methodical under pressure. She also couldn't help recall how she had so fervently thrown herself at Jason and the way both of them had blushed slightly after the fact. _Reminds me of someone_ , she reflected happily.

That only left Tim, the youngest. Out of all of them, he was the one who reminded her the most of Bruce. Some of his mannerisms and word choices were exactly the same as his. She knew the boy must admire Bruce greatly and want to be as strong and brave as him. Perseverant and stubborn Diana supposed was how he could be described. _Reminds me of someone_ , she repeated sarcastically.

She looked to the end of the table at Bruce who was sharing a hushed conversation with Dick to his right. His expression was serious as he whispered into the young man's ear, a reassuring arm on his shoulder. Dick paused for a few seconds and answered with a genuine smile which Diana couldn't help but emulate when she saw both men share a strong handshake.

She caught Bruce's eye as he looked up and a small smile appeared on his face as they both held each other's gaze in comfortable silence.

* * *

After two hours of eating, drinking, laughing and reuniting, Alfred had finished cleaning up the last scraps of food left on the table.

Everyone stood in silence, looking expectantly at Bruce to explain how things would unfold. Despite the anticipation, Bruce leisurely finished his coffee, eyeing everyone individually over the rim of his cup. They could all discern the smirk that was hiding behind that mug and for most of the people present it shocked them to think that this was the same Bruce Wayne that had disappeared several weeks ago.

Having finished his drink, Bruce cleared his throat before beginning:

"First of all I'd like to congratulate and thank all of you for everything you've done while I've been away. You kept Gotham and each other safe, and for that… I am very proud."

The shared smiles around the table seemed to show that people were starting to like this kinder, more open Bruce. Seeing everyone's dreamy faces made Bruce speak an octave louder as he continued:

"But I'm afraid we don't have time for celebrations just yet. Diana's home is under attack by Ra's al Ghul and the god of War Ares. She and I will need to head back there as soon as possible…"

"And you want us to back you up." Tim interrupted with an appreciative nod, "I'm in Bruce. When do we leave."

"You can't go Tim."

She young boy's bright eyed smile quickly turned into a resentful scowl.

"Bruce, I'm ready. I do this. Stop protecting me like I'm some little kid!"

"That's not the issue Tim. The Amazons are a female warrior race. They haven't encountered men for close to a millennia and have very strong opinions about the ones they have met. They've just been invaded by a largely male army and I'm not about to bring in another one to lend them a hand. Barbara and Diana are the only ones here that will accompany me. I need to get to the Watchtower to explain the situation and recruit some female leaguers for the mission."

Tim looked down, embarrassed at his lack of composure and reflexion.

"Sorry.", the boy muttered.

"It's all right.", Bruce replied with a smile. He turned his gaze towards Dick. "Can I ask you to stay a few more days one Gotham to keep an eye on things?"

Dick leaned back in his chair, tucking his hands behind his head and adopting a sly grin. "I don't know Bruce. My motorcycle's been acting up a bit lately. I really need to replace it and…"

"Alfred, can you keep an eye on things?"

"Of course sir.", the butler replied with a curt nod.

"All right. You all report to Alfred now. Nothing happens without his okay. That applies to patrol and throwing parties.", he added with a menacing growl followed by a subduing glare across the room.

Seeing everyone nod, Bruce got up and headed for his study.

"Wait, did he just day there was a POSSIBILITY to have a party?" Tim whispered to Dick excidetly.

Bruce called up the elevator to the cave from the clock in his study before calling out:

"Diana, Barbara, please meet me downstairs in thirty minutes for transport to the Watchtower."

Diana couldn't hide her smile. _Some things don't really need to change._

Both women started leaving to get ready, but just as they reached the door jamb, Bruce popped his head through and called to his older son. "Richard! Catch!"

The young man looked up and quickly snatched the bulk of keys that were flying at him.

"Pick whichever one you like, but make sure you return it. Not even a scratch", Bruce said with a smirk before leaving the room.

Dick smiled at the set of ten keys in his palm. "Always has to go overboard." he sighed.

* * *

Hippolyta gritted her teeth as the ground shook again beneath her feet and a loud explosion could be heard in the city below. Fires were raging everywhere, but her castle where she'd set up her command center was mostly intact. An exhausted messenger with a missing shoulder guard and a large gash on her forehead kneeled at Hippolyta's feet. She panted in exhaustion as she gave her report:

"My Queen… the second wall… has been breached… Artemis and Phillipus are holding the enemy… as best they can… but they'll soon be overrun."

Hippolyta cursed. They were being pushed back to their last line of defense. They had to strike a decisive blow to have even a chance at surviving this.

"Tell them to fall back. All our remaining troops are to retreat to the palace courtyard and barricade the gates."

The messenger looked stunned at the Queen's orders. It was not in the Amazon' nature to run. But at that moment, Hyppolita didn't care about pride, she wanted victory when it was all over.

"NOW soldier!" she shouted.

The messenger scrambled to her feet, gave a quick bow and ran back down towards the city. Hyppolita returned to her advisors as another explosion nearly knocked them off their feet.

"What are our losses?" she asked Mala. The young girl's hair was cut short and her fierce eyes were unrecognizable from the timid and reserved ones she'd had in the past.

"Not as bad as they could be, considering our odds.", the young girl replied. "It seems the enemy is doing all they can to capture as many of our sisters alive as possible. They're being held in a camp near the beach. We… don't know for what purpose."

The Queen snarled at those words. The hatred and contempt in her eyes was chilling. "Oh we know very well what their purpose is; it just sickens us too much to even mention it. Those filthy dogs will pay. Their arrogance to think they can control an Amazon will ultimately be their undoing. Tell Phillipus and Artemis to come see me as soon as they arrive. I need to pray a final time to our patrons. If even they can't help us, things must me even more dire than we thought."

"Yes my Queen." Mala replied with a firm nod.

As the Queen disappeared into the palace, Mala cast a long gaze at the sun kissing the horizon, casting a beautiful orange glow over the chaos. She closed her eyes and whispered a silent prayer: "Diana, Bruce, wherever you both are, please hurry."

* * *

As Bruce, Barbara and Diana road the elevator to the Watchtower's conference room, the latter had a sudden moment of unease. Bruce noticed and reached for her hand, squeezing it reassuringly.

"We'll get there in time. I promise."

His tone was so unwavering and reassuring, that Diana couldn't help but believe him. Despite Barbara's presence, she lifted herself on her tiptoes and kissed Batman right in the opening of his mask.

"I know we will.", she said determinedly.

"Well looks like we should be expecting a new addition to the Wayne household, am I right?" Barbara cut in sarcastically.

Diana quickly released Bruce's hand and looked away to hide her blush, while Bruce seemed to be trying emulate Superman's heat vision on Barbara.

"Joking, joking of course!" the young woman smirked as the elevator does opened and she walked out. "It could always be twins."

With that she skipped merrily down the hall towards the conference room, whistling a merry tune.

Both Bruce and Diana released sigh and followed her into the conference room.

Everyone was waiting for them. The group included the founding members of the Justice League: Martian Manhunter, Flash, Green Lantern, Hawk Girl and Superman. Also present were some of the League's most proficient female members: Supergirl, Black Canary and Zatanna.

All the present members turned as Barbara entered first, unsure of why this specific group of people had been summoned. Superman, the unofficial head of the Justice League, got up and walked towards Barbara:

"Is everything alright Batgirl? Why are…."

The words quickly died in his mouth as his eyes fell on the man behind Batgirl. In less than a millisecond, Bruce found himself trapped by the Kryptonian's powerful hug. Batman remained unabashed by this display of emotion from his longtime friend. He still had a public image he needed to maintain.

"We were so worried. We looked everywhere but couldn't find you."

Seeing that everyone else was starting to move towards them to greet him, Bruce patted Clark on the back twice, uttering a simple:

"It's good to see you Clark. I'm back."

This was enough for the Kryptonian who moved away, brushing away a small tear. _What a baby_ , Bruce thought with a smile.

After Superman, everyone else proceeded to give their own welcome to Bruce. John Stewart, the Green Lantern, and J'onn J'onzz, the Martian Manhunter, both gave Bruce strong handshakes and wide smiles. They said how good it was to have him back and how things were different without him. Bruce smiled at the praise and thanked them both.

Next was Shiera Hall, aka Hawkgirl, who, true to form, gave Bruce a brutal hug which would have hospitalized most humans. She told him how he had some nerve tacking off like that and leaving her with extra monitor duty shifts, but overall she was also glad to have him back and left him with a smile and a slap/punch on the back.

Bruce then greeted the three female members who weren't part of the founders. He got a hug from Black Canary, with whom he'd worked on several League assignments and had developed a strong friendship. She muttered how she missed having him here to keep Oliver down to Earth and how she feared seeing what would happen when they met.

Clark's cousin Kara, aka Supergirl, hugged Bruce tightly, trying to keep tears of joy from falling. They had always been quite close. Of course since she was his best friend's cousin and one of the League's most powerful members but also because he had been instrumental in freeing her from Dark Side's mental manipulation after she'd first crashed on Earth. Since then, they'd always had a close relationship. Almost father/daughter like in nature, which Clark was expert at making awkward whenever he could.

Zatanna also wrapped Bruce in a fierce hug. They had a history that went back to before the League or even Batman. One that had ended in heartbreak for both of them, but that they'd been able to surmount to become very close friends.

Bruce responded to all these greetings with a bit more enthusiasm than usual. Usual being no enthusiasm whatsoever. The Leaguers noticed and shared looks of confusion. However, when they saw Wally West, the Flash, approach Bruce, they held their breath at what might happen.

Bruce's eyes fell on the Speedster who approached him nervously, avoiding eye contact. Their interactions had always been… difficult. They were polar opposites in terms of personalities. One was go lucky and friendly, the other, solitary and serious. They'd clashed over and over. Batman telling Flash he needed to act like an adult and Wally telling Bruce he needed to lighten up. What had started as simple banter had unfortunately developed into Bruce essentially side-lining Flash during Founders meetings and spending as little time as possible in his presence. The younger man didn't appreciate that of course and also made sure never to be in the same room as Batman.

Barbara had told Bruce what had happened after he'd disappeared off the radar. It turned out Flash was on monitor duty that day and didn't call the alert when Batman had vanished off the radar. It was routine for him to go silent like this, since he was monstrously paranoid about being tracked, but he generally gave a warning beforehand or someone checked in and confirmed that he was alright. But Flash didn't do either of those. He'd simply ignored the disappearance of Batman's tracking beacon and it was only after two days that people understood that Batman was missing. Wally had been riddled with guilt, knowing that if he'd simply called it in, there was a strong chance they might have found Bruce before he vanished off the face of the Earth. No one blamed him of course. Wally did it all himself, ashamed that he'd let his own pettiness potentially cost Batman his life.

He was unsure how to face him now, which is why he was so surprised when Bruce extended a hand towards him. Wally slowly held out his hand to grasp it, but just as he reached, Bruce brought his hand away, skimmed it over his head and said:

"Too slow, Daddio!"

Silence. It seemed to be more and more present since Bruce came back.

Flash was shell shocked. Was he in a parallel universe? Or perhaps this was a future version of Batman? Had Reverse Flash somehow found a way to…?

"It's me Wally." Bruce cut into his train of thought, "I wanted to apologize for how we left things. It was… unprofessional."

Flash still needed a couple more seconds to fully interpret everything he'd just heard. A couple seconds for him, which translated into less than a thousandth of a second, after which he gave Bruce a quick hug before speeding back out of reach in case the old Bruce was still there.

"I'm sorry too Bats. You were right. I did need to grow up a bit."

During this entire surreal interaction, almost everyone present stared in disbelief. Was this really the same Batman that had disappeared several weeks ago?

After Bruce and Flash had finished reconnecting and everyone else had absorbed all this new information, their eyes finally came to Diana who was standing by Barbara waiting for all the greetings to be over.

With a decided gait, she went to Bruce's side, planted a strong kiss right on his lips, laced her hand in his and announced:

"I am Diana of Themyscira. Batman is my boyfriend and I need to your help to repel Ares' invasion of my homeland."

"Bats I think I might just hate you, again.", Flash whispered in a dejected tone.

* * *

Night had fallen over Themyscira marking the end of the day's offensive. Ra's and Ares' army had managed to get through the first two gates but were now facing harsh resistance at the entrance to the palace.

Inside Ra's and Ares' command tent, the former was delivering orders to his lieutenants as the god of war wordlessly sharpened his sword in the corner.

"Make sure all the Amazon prisoners are restrained and install a double guard around the jail. We aren't taking any chances with an escape attempt."

"Yes my lord" they all replied in unison before swiftly exiting the tent.

Ra's started pacing the tent with an annoyed glance. Hades continued to inspect his weapon, completely oblivious.

"You shouldn't have let them escape."

Ares turned to Ra's and raised a questioning eyebrow. The small hint of a smile was visible on his face.

"What was that?" he replied innocently.

"You decided to get distracted by a family reunion and let the Detective and Princess escape."

"She was the only one who posed any real threat to us. Whether she is our prisoner or simply gone, as long as she isn't fighting it makes no difference."

"Perhaps but she is with Batman. And if they were to find a way out of Tartarus, he has a whole League of super powered freaks he can call on for aid."

Ares' small smile slowly morphed into a twisted grin.

"I do believe that is what your daughter is for, isn' it? Her and that little boy demon should handle your…"

"They are not pawns to be utilized." Ra's shouted, slamming his hands down on the table. "My daughter had suffered enough heartache already. I will not force another burden upon her."

"Oh but of course you will." Ares goaded. "You are my partner in this war. And as such you will use every means at your disposal to secure victory. As will I."

Ares got up from his chair and sheathed his sword, moving towards a wine jug and pouring himself a glass.

"Ra's I must admit I find it humorous an immortal and brilliant man such as yourself would be so concerned by a mere human."

Just as the god raised the cup to his lips, Ra's snatched it out of his hand and downed it in one go before replacing it in his hand.

"He may be born a human, but that is the only thing that classifies as such. Over the hundreds of years I've spent on this Earth, he is far and above the greatest foe I've ever encountered."

"You must be joking." Ares snorted derisively.

"I do not joke Ares. Every second we spend not finding that girl is another second the Detective has for planning a counterattack. I have underestimated him too many times and paid the price dearly. I suggest you take him seriously, especially if your daughter is on his side."

Ra's approached the entrance of the tent and turned back.

"My men have checked the blood of every prisoner and none of them seem to be the sacrifice, which means the one we're looking for is still held up inside. I will be starting the next offensive as dawn."

And with that, the Demon Head stormed out of the tent leaving Ares alone.

The god approached the table at the center of the room, covered in maps and pawns to indicate the troops movements of each side. There was a clump of Themysciran pawns on the map of the castle and near Ra's and Hades' camp, surrounded my all the League of Shadows (i.e. League of Assassins) pawns.

The god's palm hovered over the pawns representing the remaining Amazons in the castle and a sudden glow of red plasma burnt them all to ash.

"Oh my sweet Hippolyta" Ares purred menacingly, "it appears we have truly reached the endgame."

 **POW! HEY YO THE CHAPTER'S OVER!**

 **THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO COMMENTED HOW I'D CONFUSED HADES AND ARES. IT WAS INDEED ARES, MY BAD. ALL THE CORRECTIONS SHOULD HAVE BEEN MADE.**

 **Well? What did everyone think? Are their tomatoes and rocks flying?**

 **YES, those are the three female leaguers I chose. They are characters I feel comfortable writing about and remember I didn't say who the members of the final team were ;)**

 **YES, the portrayal of Wally and Bruce's relationship. That is a personal choice I made after seeing how their relation is portrayed in a lot of fanfictions I want to try to connect the two a bit closer. Just like those guys together, I don't know it feels good. Sue me. (And I just realized I had written Flash as Barry Allen and had to correct his name everywhere. So if you seem the name Barry appear out of nowhere don't panic, I just missed a spot).**

 **YES, Talia and her mysterious "boy demon". Well, enough said about that. All in due time ;)**

 **I think that covers most of it. Any comments are welcome and favorites and follows are appreaciated.**


	21. Chapter 21

**Only heck, almost midnight in Paris and ready to post a new chapter? Yep seems about right. I was going to finish this at a reasonable time but when I heard the Notre-Dame Cathedral had caught fire, I dropped everything to go see. It was truly painful and horrifying to watch but I know we will surmount it like we have many times in the past.**

 **Now that the serious stuff is out of the way, I'm just going to let you get right to the reason of you getting a notification in your inbox (if you didn't, please consider following ;) #shamelessplug)**

 **This is basically the final little setup/fluff/intense shit before the final act showdown awesome finally stuff (I know it feels like I've been saying that for several chapters now but it's the truth this time I promised)**

 **Also on a partly related topic. Since the university year is soon over for me which equals much more free time for writing, I am going to start a second fanfiction with a storyline I've been juggling in my head for a while. Here's the clue as to the WORLD and who the MAIN CHARACTER: SW OW. Suspense, suspense no ;).**

 **Alright, now we're all good. Again any comments, favorites and follows are greatly appreciated. Enjoy the new chapter!**

 **Chapter 21: Last minute revelations**

Once everyone in the meeting room was caught up on the situation, as well as the events that had led to said situation, Bruce was finally ready to expose his plan:

"As I've explained this is a race of female warriors who aren't very open to males. While I think I may have softened their view somewhat, we aren't about to risk complicating things. With that in mind, the people accompanying me will be: Diana, Batgirl, Supergirl, Black Canary, Zatanna, Hawkgirl and… Flash."

That final name caused looks of surprise from many around the table. They knew better than to interrupt, as Bruce was likely going to give his reasons. However, they couldn't help a small laugh when John whispered: "the perfect all-female group".

After shutting down the distractions with a menacing Batglare, Bruce continued:

"Due to the nature of this operation, Flash's speed will be a decisive asset. In addition to making it more likely no Amazon will see him, it also means he will be able to help us effectively set up our sneak attack on Ra's and Hades. We will need to fully utilize the element of surprise and avoid as much as possible a direct confrontation. Remember they have a god on their side."

Bruce turned to Flash who was winking at Diana and whispering: "yeah but we've got a goddess on ours." He quickly snapped to attention as he felt Bruce's gaze pierce him.

"You said you'd learned to act like an adult. Ready to have the responsibilities of one?"

Flash's expression instantly went serious, his tone set with determination: "I won't let you down."

Bruce nodded to him before turning back to the others.

"All those I mentioned be in the hangar bay in thirty minutes with whatever gear or equipment you need. I'll give the plan when we're en route."

Everyone nodded. Satisfied, Bruce swiftly left the conference room with Diana quickly following.

* * *

Diana followed Bruce a couple feet behind as he stalked down the winding halls of the Watchtower. She smiled at the looks of terror and lowered eyes that seemed to happen each time someone approached within 2 meters of Bruce. Those looks were quickly followed by hanging jaws and reddening faces as they saw the gorgeous Amazon following the always moody Batman. She smiled back genuinely at all these new faces, hoping she would get to meet and talk with some of these people once all of this was over.

Finally, Bruce came to a stop I front of what she assumed were his quarters. He typed a code on a keypad by his door and entered. She quickly followed.

Bare. That would be the best word to describe Bruce's room. Naked walls; nothing on the shelves; no distinct sent that was unique to any person's room when they lived in it for some time. She watched him closely as he went to a trunk by his bed and started rummaging around for something, completely ignoring her which vexed her slightly.

With a mischievous grin she loudly announced:

"You don't mind if I take a shower, do you?"

Bruce paused for only a half second as he continued to look through the trunk. He let out a small grunt in response which frustrated Diana even more.

Silently, she entered the bathroom and slammed the door behind her. She had no use for another shower since she'd taken one the night before, but she would not embarrass herself by going back on her attempt at tempting Bruce. As she tested the water's temperature, she heard a sudden crash and the sound of bodies falling and wrestling on the floor. In one swift kick she demolished the bathroom door and burst into Bruce's bedroom to find him grappling with a lady in a skintight black suit with cat ears and claws on her fingers. She also noticed the lasso around her waist just before she noticed the woman's lips that were fully pressed against her boyfriend's.

If she was angry with Bruce before, she was beyond furious now. In a second she had both the strange woman and Bruce bound with her lasso.

"STOP THIS RIGHT NOW!" she bellowed so loud that terrified squeals could be heard in the hallway outside.

The woman separated her lips from Bruce's, which morphed into a catlike grin towards him that Diana found unsettling. Regaining her composure, she pulled up a chair and moved closer to the pair.

"Who are you?" she asked the woman.

"Name's Selina Kyle. Call me Catwoman." she answered through gritted teeth, clearly unhappy to have unveiled her secret identity.

Diana turned a dark eye towards Bruce.

"What was going on here?"

"Selina sent me a message saying to meet her here." Bruce answered slowly as he tried to break from the lasso's control, "She jumped me while I was looking through my chest and she kissed me."

Diana didn't like the matter of fact way he announced this clear act of infidelity. Though she had a small idea as to the answer to her next question:

"Who kissed who?"

"I kissed him." Selina replied instantly.

"Why?" Diana followed up, trying to keep a tremor our of her voice.

"The man's been gone for so long" she purred moving even closer to Bruce, "It's been lonely without someone to chase me and spend time with at night. I thought we could catch up on all those lost night right now…"

"You've… slept with him?!" Diana asked in shock.

Selina's widening grin and dreamy eyes gave her all the information she needed. Diana quickly removed the lasso from both of them and ran out of the room.

"Diana wait it's not…" Bruce tried to reach after her but he was held in place by two feet planted firmly on his cape. Selina smiled at him devilishly.

"Leave the princess alone Bruce. We've got a couple minutes before…"

She was cut off as Bruce yanked his neck forward, sweeping Selina off her feet.

"We're over Selina." Bruce ground out without looking back as he walked out of the room.

Selina sat cross legged in the dark room, the lenses on her head reflecting in the dark.

"We'll never be over lover..." she purred.

* * *

Bruce chased Diana down the long hallways of the Watchtower calling after her to stop but she continued to run. They eventually wound up in the commissary where Diana finally reached a dead end.

It was completely empty. _Good for an argument_ , Diana thought.

"Diana." Bruce said as he came up to her. "Selina and I were together before but that's over now. She ambushed me…"

"Bruce she didn't ambush you" Diana cut him off quickly, "NO ONE can ambush you. You were HAPPY to see her."

Bruce looked away. She was no longer the naïve Amazon he'd met several weeks ago. She'd picked up his observation skills and critical mind.

"You're right." Bruce conceded. "I was happy to see her. We'd had a relationship for a long time before I disappeared and she's held on to romantic feelings that I put behind when I met you."

Diana smiled a little at his affirmation of his love for her but wasn't about to let him off the hook just yet.

"Promise me you have no feelings for her."

Bruce hesitated for a second which made Diana nervous.

"I can't say that Diana" he answered. "While I may not love Selina, I still care for her. She's been a part of my life since I was a boy and she'll always be a dear friend. I feel like I didn't do enough before to try to turn her away from her life of crime and want to be able to try again. Better this time."

Diana smiled at Bruce's compassion and chided her own callousness for how she'd framed Selina in her mind. She knew that if Bruce cares for her and had at one time loved her, it was because she held more than just stunning outer beauty.

"I'm sorry Bruce, you're right. I forgive you" she said with a smile.

Bruce smiled slightly at hearing her forgiveness. He shot a quick glance around to make sure they were alone before sweeping her into his arms in a passionate embrace. The affection and love he communicated though that kiss wiped away any doubt in Diana's mind about his past romance with Selina.

They were so busy in affirming each other's love, they didn't notice the one they were tearing down. But the feline figure watching them felt every second of it.

* * *

The jet had most of its crew present and strapped in. The last ones aboard were Bruce and Diana, the first looking significantly more aggravated then the second. Although he had said he was ready to act more mature, Flash couldn't help getting in a small jab at Bruce:

"You know even two minutes late qualifies as late." He said in a bad Batman voice.

Before Bruce could make Flash's super-fast legs ineffective, Diana quickly intervened:

"It was my fault. Bruce told me about something called an Iced Mocha and I had to try one before we left."

The female leaguers exchanged smiles and giggles as Diana displayed the tasty beverage in her hand.

"Well Wondy if you'd just said so I could have whipped one up for ya in a flash…"

As he finished his sentence, Flash sped out of the jet and was back less than a second later with a second Iced Mocha in his hand which he handed to the princess.

"For you, mademoiselle." he proclaimed with a low bow.

"Everyone strapped in?" Bruce asked from the driver's seat. Without waiting for an answer he continued, "Ready for take-off."

With that, Bruce punched the accelerator sending Flash and his Iced Mocha speeding towards the rear-end of the jet. Diana levitated to keep herself steady and took her seat beside Bruce. She smiled back at Flash as he made his way to his seat covered in whipped cream and the chocolate/coffee blend.

"Thanks for the offer Flash." she said with a smile.

Flash grumbled an inaudible answer as the jet sped down into Earth's orbit and towards Themyscira.

* * *

"HOLD THE LINE!" bellowed Phillipus as another crash rocked the Amazons holding the gate.

The remaining troops were either exhausted or badly injured. Artemis and the other archers had run out of arrows and the only remaining line of defense was the large wooden gate that was slowly being smashed to bits.

"My Queen!" Mala spoke quickly to Hippolyta. "We're completely surrounded. All our escape routes have been cut off."

Hippolyta cursed at no one in particular. There was no one to blame for any of this, except the enemies currently beating on her front door.

"HOLD THE—" Phillipus' order was cut off when her and the other Amazons at the gate were sent flying from a burst of red energy.

Through the breach entered Ares in jet-black battle armor, sword at his side, and behind him, hundreds of League of Assassins soldiers that surrounded the battered Amazons.

"My dear Hippolyta." Ares' voice was like a snake's whisper. "It vexes me that you seem so intent on ignoring me."

"Amazons do not bow to any man. And certainly not to a monster like you!"

With a smirk, Ares walked over to the wounded Amazons who had held the door. Many had wood shrapnel sticking out of their arms and legs but their gazes didn't lose that spark of defiance. Ares' eyes eventually fell on Phillipus who had a sizeable shard impaled in her midsection. With a bone chilling impassiveness, the war god reached out and picked up the Amazon warrior by her head like she was made of paper.

"My dear, monsters are in fairytales" Ares mused as he started twisting the shrapnel in Phillipus' stomach. Her warrior pride made her stifle a cry of pain, but her entire body contorted in agony, the color slowly draining from her skin.

"Where. Is. The sacrifice?" Ares growled.

"I don't know what you're talking about Ares." Hippolyta replied with barely contained anger. "Let Phillipus go!"

"I need something in return." Ares said with a smirk as he continued to plunge the shard deeper into Phillipus' stomach. She was barely conscious, her body almost completely slack.

Eventually the piece of wood was completely embedded into Phillipus' abdomen and Ares had nothing to continue her torture with. With a cruel smile, the war god wiped her blood on her chiton and slowly closed his fist around her skull. This time, Phillipus let out a guttural roar of agony that made her sisters grit their teeth in fury.

"ARES STOP!" Hippolyta yelled out.

"Bring me the sacrifice." Ares replied in a cold, uncaring tone.

"I DON'T KNOW WHO THAT IS!"

"I DO!"

All eyes turned to the voice. Towards Mala, who pushed her way out of the crowd of Amazon and in between Ares and Hippolyta.

"I know who the sacrifice is." she spoke calmly to the god of war towering over her.

The god smiled devilishly. "Well little one; do tell. Who is the woman I've been waiting all these years to meet?"

"Let my friend go." Mala demanded.

Phillipus tried to say something but her physical and mental state made it come out as a strangled groan. With a cruel grin, Ares loosened his grip and she crumbled on the ground, unmoving.

"Now little one; who is the sacrifice?"

Mala looked straight in the war god's eyes; head up straight, eyes proud.

"It's me."

 **Hey it's me I'm back! Miss me?**

 **So yeah all that happened. I don't really have much to add here so here's a quote from my greatest inspiration for wanting to work in film, Charlie Chaplin:**

 _ **A day without laughter is a day wasted.**_


	22. Chapter 22

**Has it been a long time since the last chapter? … YES! My gosh it's been a while sorry, sorry, sorry. As some of you may or may not know I've started a second fanfiction (which you can check out if you like Star Wars and Obi-Wan Kenobi ;) as this one is approaching its conclusion, plus I had finals, plus vacation, plus laziness… basically a lot of stuff that kept me from being productive, BUT THAT'S THE OLD ME (lies;)**

 **So yeah entering the final stages of It All Started On Themyscira, hope you like it. This is a slightly shorter chapter as I'm trying to build up some steam for the ultimate final showdown (God I'm placing way too much hype, I'm sorry. Don't even know what it'll fully look like yet ;)**

 **Okay okay, new characters but likely some you were expecting; new developments and I've run my mouth enough so… ENJOY!**

 **Comments, favorites and follows are always appreciated.**

* * *

Chapter 22: Reunited

* * *

After a couple minutes in the air, Diana pointed Bruce to where she could sense Themyscira was hidden. Bruce put the jet into stealth mode and slowed his descent until they finally made it through the magical field surrounding the island and saw the horrors it was hiding.

There were fires all around and inside the main capital. They could make out the enemy camp that was set up near the beach and the large prison camp adjoined to it. Bruce lowered the jet onto the water and let it float and bob on the surface, invisible to anyone watching from the shore.

Batman turned around in his seat and brought everyone together to discuss the plan of attack. He could see that Diana was visibly shaken and angry at what she'd just seen but he needed to be the calm, steady presence he always was and keep everyone focused on the task at hand.

"All right, listen up," Bruce said, activating a holo-projection of the island. "From the initial scans, it seems that the majority of the Amazon force is in the prison camp, here. I also detected a strong amount of energy brewing from the heart of the mountain. There are several life forms up there which tells me that's where Ares and Ra's are."

Everyone nodded at his explanations as Bruce pointed out the various points of interest.

"Diana and I will take care of Ares. The rest of you will free the Amazons, get them back to the palace and ready for another fight. Set fire to the League's camp to force them into the open where we'll have the advantage. Shayera, you're in charge. I think I can trust you to shake up the League of Assassins."

"I think I can handle it," she replied with a smile, gripping her mace in her hand. "All right everyone, follow me."

Everyone, apart from Bruce and Diana, followed Shayera to the back of the place which opened up to let them fly out into the sky.

Diana looked over to Bruce as he did a final check of all his equipment to make sure he had everything.

"I'm worried Bruce," she confided. "Ares is a god. I should be the one to face him."

"Diana I may be mortal but I've dealt with people who are as close to gods as you could imagine," he replied calmly. "No matter what happens we'll do it together. You told me that, no?"

Diana smiled and followed him to the end of the plane. He really was one of a kind in his determination and stubbornness. She saw him hold out both his hands towards her with a stone faced expression. She grabbed onto them with a smirk.

"Not a word Diana," Bruce threatened. "Not a word."

With that, she lifted them out of the jet and towards the stop of the mountain where menacing thunder clouds were already starting to form.

* * *

As Diana and Bruce approached the mountain from the air, they could sense the darkness and evil that was brewing in its core

"There is something very old that is being awakened," Diana whispered. "Yet still… so young."

Bruce didn't bother to comment the oxymoron and directed her to set them down so they could approach the entrance to the mountain on foot.

They trekked uphill for a couple minutes until they reached an ominous cave mouth that led them deep into the heart of the mountain.

After several more minutes of winding down dimly lit tunnels, they finally saw a source of light that led them to a large antechamber. The torchlight revealed Ares, Ra's, two figures hidden under long robes, and… Mala!

Diana lurched forward but Bruce wrapped an arm around her to keep her in place.

"Don't be stupid princess," he whispered harshly. "We'll lose if we attack them head on. We need to understand what they're planning so we can beat them."

Diana pushed down her rising anger and focused her attention on the group when she saw Ares raising a dagger over Mala's heart. Bruce instantly threw caution to the wind, throwing a baterang which knocked the weapon out of the god's hand.

"Screw it," Bruce cursed. "You take Ares, I'll take Ra's and the others."

With a smile on her face, Diana flew at full speed towards the god of war, catching him unguarded in a powerful tackle that sent them through the side of the mountain and out into the forest below.

Bruce smiled at Diana's zeal, arriving to a halt in front of Ra's who regarded him with cold stare. Mala looked weak but still alive, her eyes half-opened and she smiled when she saw Bruce. He nodded to her reassuringly before refocusing his attention on Ra's and the two cloaked individuals.

"It's over Ra's," Bruce warned. "The Amazons are likely free by now and ready for revenge; your troops won't stand a chance against them in open combat. Surrender now, enough blood has been spilt already."

"Detective," Ra's sneered. "You underestimate me. Ares is more than capable of dealing with your Amazon Princess and these two are more than adequate for dealing with you. As for the rest of the Amazons, when this girl's true power awakens, not them or any army on earth will stand in our way."

Bruce shifted his gaze slowly towards the two figures who both removed their hoods, leaving Bruce him speechless. Talia Al Ghul looked at him with fierce eyes but still with a hint of kindness and… love.

The young man next to her looked at Bruce with such contempt and superiority it reminded him of some of the "trust-fund kids" he'd been forced to interact with many times growing up, except this kid had a razor sharp katana sword in his hand.

"Hello… son," Bruce said evenly. He didn't need to be the world's greatest detective to figure out who this young man was. The boy responded to with a slight nod.

"Hello father," he spoke in a low tone. "You're shorter than I expected."

Bruce didn't expect himself to chuckle after hearing that and apparently, neither did his audience considering the looks they gave him when he did.

Bruce understood Ra's plan instantly. He knew that fighting his son and a woman he cared for would force him on the defensive leaving him open to a lucky strike from either of them that would incapacitate him. The boy had likely studied his fighting style and knew every way to counter it. The perfect weapon to use against him: his own son.

But Ra's didn't know that Bruce had changed since last he'd faced him. The old Bruce would never have let his emotions come into play in a situation like this, but the new Bruce knew better. A certain Amazon princess had shown him a different way to win a fight such as this one.

"You also look a bit short though since I didn't have the privilege of seeing you grow up I suppose I shouldn't judge," Bruce said with an easygoing smile. He turned to Talia, "It's good to see you again Talia, though I wish it were under different circumstances."

Talia and her son were shocked by what they were hearing and seeing. Talia had never seen Bruce smile or talk in a tone that even resembled kindness. She shook away her confusion and sharpened her gaze towards her former lover.

"The circumstances are as they are beloved. This is your son Damian, the Head of the Demon's successor… and yours. He is here to kill you and prove he is worthy."

To punctuate her point, Damian lowered himself into a combat stance, his sword angled squarely at his father who's arms were still hanging at his side, hidden in the folds of his cape.

"Damian… Damian," Bruce repeated whimsically. "It's a nice name. A strong name. If you lost the sword, wore a mask and swore off killing I'd be happy to train you to eventually take my place."

Damian was beyond confused. All the stories he'd heard about Batman from his mother and grandfather were those of a lone wolf who committed to his ideals with an unquenchable fire and never let anything distract from his mission. Most importantly, one who kept a tight control over his emotions and never let anyone close to him. Was this smiling, friendly man really the feared Batman he'd heard so much about?

"I will only take your place once I've killed you father," he growled. "I will christen this sword with your blood."

"No you won't Damian," Bruce replied with such calm and certainty it made Damian flinch. "Killing me will bring you nothing. Not a title, not recognition, not glory. You'll just be a fatherless killer with a bloody sword who will live the rest of his life in pain and solitude. No son of mine will ever be a killer and no son of mine will ever be alone."

With that, Bruce unfastened his cowl and removed it to reveal his stark black hair and cobalt eyes. He let the helmet drop at his feet and held both his arms out in a cross.

"But if it's your destiny Damian, then come, fulfill it. I'm unarmed; I won't fight back. All you have to do is walk up and cut off my head. Your grandfather will be so proud of you."

Damian's anger flared up; he took several steps towards his father.

"Ready yourself father," he shouted. "I am going to attack."

"I won't Damian," Bruce replied calmly. "If you want to kill me, it will have to be in cold blood."

"Defend yourself!" Damian shouted louder.

"No."

"Fight me!"

"Never."

Damian's eyes were starting to blur and he couldn't understand why. He felt a tightness in his chest; an overall sense of anxiety and sadness. His hands were shaking and he was struggling to maintain his balance.

As he cleared his eyes and looked up, his father was kneeling in front of him, his face right in front of his. Their eyes were the exact same color, as was their hair.

"You're not a killer Damian." Bruce said, his voice layered with kindness before wrapping the boy in a hug.

Damian froze for several seconds before dropping his sword and grasping his father's cape, tears slowly running down his cheeks. He was completely unprepared for the hit Bruce delivered to the pressure point on his neck that made him unconscious instantly.

Bruce caught Damian as he slumped in his arms and laid him on the floor.

"Give it up Ra's," Bruce spoke evenly. "You've lost your only leverage. Surrender before things get ugly;"

"I knew you hadn't changed detective," Ra's said with a cruel smile. "Daughter; take him."

Talia leapt towards Bruce as Ra's reached for the dagger on the floor. As she angled a kick to Bruce's head, he swiftly ducked under and threw her over his shoulder. Before she hit the floor, Bruce was reaching for Ra's hand as he brought down the dagger towards Mala's heart.

"NO!"

Bruce caught Ra's wrist just as it pierced Mala's skin, letting a drop of blood fall onto the stele laying on.

* * *

Diana was locked in a fierce duel with Ares. While she had initially benefited from the element of surprise, it quickly wore off as she failed to land a decisive blow.

Each blow she inflicted left merely a cut, which quickly healed. Ares seemed to be getting stronger with every punch she threw.

"You are weak Amazon," the god taunted her. "So much struggle and all you do is feed me."

 _Of course_ , Diana cursed herself. This was exactly what she needed to avoid in a confrontation with Ares. As the god of war his power came from conflict and violence, in her anger at seeing Mala hurt, she'd let her emotions cloud her judgement.

She needed to put some distance between her and Ares before she could strategize a new plan. She quickly lifted herself off the ground and went at full speed towards the mountain where she'd left Bruce.

"See you soon my dear Diana," Ares shouted after her. "You cannot escape."

Diana was a couple meters away from the hole she'd blasted in the center of the cave, but just as she was about to reach it, she was tackled by a fast moving blur she couldn't see coming.

She crashed into the sand on the beach and skidded a few meters before stopping, having left a long trench in the sand behind her.

As Diana tried to get her bearings, her eyes fell on the glowing, radiant figure of Mala. She seemed to be pulsing with raw energy aura. Her eyes were pure white and her body swirled with multicolored light patterns.

Diana tried to take a step forward, but Mala instantly rushed forward and clocked her in the side of the head. Diana had to fight not to pass out.

As she struggled to stay on her feet, Diana fell into her combat stance as she tried to focus her eyes on Mala who regarded her with an unemotional gaze.

"Don't do this Mala," Diana pleaded.

Mala didn't hear her friend. She flew towards her a supersonic speed and connected with Diana's crossed bracelets.

* * *

 **AND… DONE!**

 **So yeah that was a thing that just happened. Thoughts? Like it? Hate it? As long as it's constructive, please let me here it.**

 **In case you were wondering what's going on with Flash, Shayera and the others, don't worry, I'll get there ;)**

 **A huge thanks everyone who's stuck with this story till now, you're all awesome and I'll say it again if anyone's interested in Star Wars fanfics, try checking out "Never Too Old When You Have the High Ground" my second fanfic #shamelessplug.**


	23. Chapter 23

**Hello, hello, hello! New chapter of it started on Themyscira! Get it while it's hot.**

 **It's very late right now and I'm very tired so I'll just leave you with the story and see you at the end. Big thanks to all of you have stuck with this story till now, you rock and I appreciate all your support.**

 **As usual, comments, favorites and follows are all greatly appreciated.**

Chapter 23: Reunited

Bruce pushed himself off the ground, trying to remember what had happened before he passed out. As his memory returned, Bruce noted the state of the cave which now had a gaping hole in its side. Bruce walked up to it and looked out over the chaos that was taking place outside.

He could see the League of Shadow's camp from here; mostly in ruins. Bruce also spotted a long cortège of Amazons making their way back to the palace with Flash, Zatanna, Hawkgirl, Batgirl, Supergirl and Black Canary.

Seeing that half of their rescue plan had succeeded, Bruce shifted his attention to the other half. A couple feet away from him, Ra's was starting to regain consciousness. Before the head of the demon could open his eyes, Bruce picked him up by the collar of his robes and slammed him against the cave wall.

"What did you do to her?!" Bruce's tone was like a razor against Ra's' throat.

The head of the demon regarded the detective with an emotionless glare.

"That girl possesses divine blood," Ra's explained, begrudgingly. "We were meant to spill her blood and kill her at the same time. We would have then used my Lazarus pit and Ares' magic to bring her back under our control. Imagine: a divine being with access to primordial cosmic power at our beck and call."

"Yeah, you paint a compelling picture." Bruce snarled, trying to keep his flaring emotions in check.

Bruce didn't like this talk of divine blood and cosmic power. He always preferred facing threats he could understand and obeyed the rules of the reality he knew. However, Bruce also knew it was foolish to blindly stick by your beliefs when ample evidence suggested something else may exist.

He'd had a visit from a so called God when he was on Themyscira. And of course he worked regularly with people who didn't exactly follow the laws of physics (amongst other things). But if Bruce was to contend with gods, he would need more information.

"Where does her power come from? How do I stop her?" Bruce asked Ra's, who leered at him like a snake.

"Are you familiar with the birth of Aphrodite, detective?" taking his cold silence for a yes, Ra's continued anyway. "The goddess of love is said to be born from the… testicles of Ouranos, master of the sky and one of the Primordial gods, when his son, Cronus, defeated him. He's had many descendants ranging from gods to monsters, born either from his blood or from his wife Gaia. It was only recently discovered that Cronus did not cast just his father's genitals into the sea, but also a piece of his brain. This piece, which contains the essence and spirit of Ouranos, stayed dormant for millennia, unable to awaken without a host. After that it would take a few more decades for Ouranos' spirit to fully reform inside our dear little Amazon."

Bruce took a couple seconds to digest all this new information. Mala was essentially possessed by the mind of this primordial god. A god who had been betrayed by his own son and was likely looking for payback. Bruce also supposed that spending all that time at the bottom of the sea hadn't made him very mentally stable either.

"How do I stop him Ra's?"

"You can't, detective," Ra's stated matter-of-factly with a cruel smile. "Since we weren't able to properly execute the ritual to place Ouranos under our control, he is now free and extremely unstable. But do not worry, all that power will eventually go erratic and kill him. He will die with the power of several nuclear bombs detonating at the same time but I'm sure one of your super friends can simply send him into the sun, no?"

Bruce punched Ra's hard in response, letting the head of the head of the demon slump down as he dropped him in a heap. There was no way Bruce would sacrifice Mala. He was going to find a way to save her. _On my life, I swear it,_ Bruce thought.

Bruce restrained Ra's with handcuffs from his belt and hoisted him over his shoulder to deliver him to the Amazons. They would want him to face justice as well as hear about the situation with Mala.

When Bruce cast a glance around the cave, he noticed that Talia and Damian were nowhere to be seen. All that was left was a katana sword and its sheath laying on the ground. Bruce picked up the weapon and hooked it to his belt. _See you soon, Damian._

After adjusting Ra's on his shoulder, Bruce made his way out of the cave and started his trek towards the Themysciran capital.

* * *

Diana could feel she was losing the fight. Her punches were getting less precise and carried less impact with each one she threw. Meanwhile, Mala, or whatever she was now, showed no signs of slowing down.

"Mala, it's me. Diana," she tried again, hoping her friend was still in there somewhere. "We're friends, don't do this."

This time, Diana notices a slight twitch in Mala's expression and a pause in the punch she was getting ready to throw. This was all Diana needed. In a flash, she gripped Mala with both arms like a vice, restraining her and pressed her forehead against hers.

"Fight it, Mala. YOU are in control, no this power!"

Diana could feel Mala tensing up, but not to get free; more like she was trying to keep something contained.

"Run, Diana," Mala's sounded weak and inhuman. "I can't control him."

"I'm not abandoning you! We're sisters. I'll be by your side till the end." Diana begged, holding on to her even tighter.

"I knew you'd say that. So I'm glad Bruce shares my opinion." Mala said, managing a small smirk.

"What? —"

In a blink, Diana felt herself being extricated from Mala and suddenly appeared in the palace courtyard, surrounded by her Amazon sisters and the heroes who had accompanied her.

Diana turned around to see Flash moving his hand away from her shoulder. She could gather he was the reason she was suddenly here instead of on the beach where she needed to be.

"I know what you're thinking, princess. So I'll tell you now: don't be stupid." The familiar voice made Diana's twitch slightly.

The crowd of Amazons split to let pass Bruce and Hippolyta. Diana regarded Bruce with a frustrated glare.

"Bruce I was getting through to her," she said, marching closer to him, hands balled into fists. "I need to get back there and have her reject this power."

"It's just not that simple, Diana." Bruce replied bluntly, frustrating Diana even more. "That power, Ouranos' power, is now a part of Mala. They are nearly the same person. It's impossible to separate them through sheer will power. We have to find a way to reverse the ritual that made that power emerge in the first place."

"And I suppose you have a plan for that?" Diana asked, her voice dripping with sarcasm. She also noted the sword hanging from Bruce's belt which she didn't feel inclined to ask about.

"Not yet, Diana," Hippolyta cut in. "Bruce has brought us the snake Ra's Al Ghul and our interrogators are with him right now but I doubt he'll be able to help us."

Hippolyta gestured for Diana and Bruce to follow her up onto the ramparts overlooking the city. From here they could see the beach where Diana and Mala had fought. The latter was alone on the beach, unmoving, holding her head in her hands and screaming out in pain.

"You seem to have to jogged Mala's consciousness and allowed her to fight Ouranos' control, but it won't last." Hippolyta surmised. "Eventually, he will overpower her and Mala's mind will be suppressed once again."

"But that's not really our most urgent matter," Bruce chimed in. "We also have Ares roaming the island. I'd imagine it isn't long before he rallies Ra's forces and leads them in an attack on the palace."

"Let him come," Diana spat, still enraged at being unable to help her friend. "We'll crush him and his puny army like the maggots they are."

Hippolyta and Bruce exchanged a look of concern followed by a small nod from Bruce to which Hippolyta silently acquiesced. The queen walked away and returned to the courtyard to direct her troops, giving the two heroes some privacy.

Bruce removed his cowl, revealing his familiar blue eyes, as well as a distinct imprint of grime around his mouth that matched the opening in his mask. This, added to his five o'clock shadow and the light damage on his armor, gave him an undeniable 'rugged yet suave' look.

Diana, on the other hand, looked like she could have just gotten off a runway. Her hair was tussled and her uniform was dusty from fighting in the sand but it somehow complemented and augmented her stunning look and figure. Bruce had to try his hardest to keep a smirk at bay.

He held the silence for several seconds, letting Diana's aggression slowly fizzle out as she realized the emotional state she was in. Then, at once, like a pre-planned dance move, they ran towards each other and met in a passionate embrace.

Diana felt Bruce's beard scraping against the side of her neck, and Bruce inhaled the familiar fragrance of lavender that seemed to accompany Diana wherever she went. They stayed like this for several seconds in silence, absorbing all the details and subtleties of each other's countenance.

When the two broke their embrace, it was only to reconnect with an intimate kiss that brought them even closer together. It reminded them of when they'd first kissed in the bathhouse on Themyscira; the time when they first talked in Bruce's cell in the dungeons of the palace and, indeed, to when they'd first laid eyes on each other the day Bruce crashed on the island.

They held each other even closer, terrified of letting go. Terrified of what might happen in a couple hours once this war was over. Would they both live? Would they both die? To them those were the only acceptable outcomes. Anything else was out of the question. Either they both made it, or they went out together.

After nearly a minute, they separated to draw in some much needed oxygen. It was surreal how their passion was so instinctive and primal, it made them forget their basic need to breath. The thought made Bruce smile lightly, which Diana picked up on immediately.

"What are you laughing at?" the Amazon asked, giggling at the look the smile had on Bruce's worn face.

"Just thinking that you have a terrifying amount of power over me and I over you," Bruce replied, laying his forehead against hers. "I just fear that that will be our downfall. We are stronger together but it also makes us weaker, more fragile."

Diana smiled and with a flick of her foot, tipped Bruce off balance. She then pushed him backwards, letting him drag her down as he fell on his back, ending up on top of him. Before Bruce could react, Diana captured his lips once again, bringing her knees up on either side of his head. Their tongues intertwined and fought for dominance with the same ferocity as their hand-to-hand duels. Bruce's hands ran up Diana's back, feeling every curve of her delicate and flawless form. Diana separated her lips from Bruce's and gently trailed kisses all along his jaw till she was right by his ear.

"We love each other," Diana whispered heatedly. "That will never be a weakness. It is because of love, that we will be able to make the impossible decisions. Because we know EXACTLY what the other would do in our place."

Bruce held up Diana's face to look directly into her eyes. The conviction and passion that emanated from them matched what he felt in his gut and his heart.

"In that case," Bruce replied in what he hoped was a stoic tone. "I think we both know we should break this up before your mother comes back and we have another war to worry about."

Diana laughed softly at the joke and deftly got to her feet, offering Bruce a hand up. Once they were both back on their feet, Diana handed Bruce his cowl which he put on before heading back to Hippolyta and the other Amazons, only for Diana to pull him back by his cape.

"Diana we don't have time for— "

"No it's not that. I just need to…"

Giving no further explanation, Diana licked the corner of Bruce's cape and started rubbing away the obvious lipsticks marks around Bruce's mouth. Once Diana was satisfied there was no evidence left, she let go of Batman's cape.

"All good." she judged, flashing Bruce a mischievous smile.

"When did you even have time to apply lipstick?" Bruce asked incredulously.

"I put some on before we left for the Watchtower. Alfred showed me how it worked."

 _Damned butler_ , Bruce thought.

"Took you long enough to notice." Diana commented in a mock-hurt tone. "Alfred said it was expected of men to compliment women when they changed their appearance."

Bruce knew better then to play the "I don't care about looks" card so he just contented with staying silent for a couple seconds before grabbing Diana by the shoulders and delivering a massive hickey right on the base of her neck.

"Bruce!" Diana yelped with a mortified expression.

"Your lips are beautiful, princess." Bruce added with a smirk before rushing down the stairs towards the courtyard as Diana tried to think up a way to hide the offending purple mark.

* * *

The room was almost blinding from all the pure white marble that was used in every piece of decor.

While many government meetings can involve a lot of arguing, they usually manage to remain civil and non-violent. The debate currently taking place on the Olympian council was anything but civil and was close to getting very violent.

"He's YOUR son, Zeus," Apollo yelled out to the king of Olympus who regarded him with an impatient glare. "You have to be able to do something to stop this madness."

"Let me remind you that YOU are my son too, Apollo," Zeus growled, his fingers tapping the lightning bolt that rested by his side. "I am bound by the same ancient rules as all of you. I cannot interfere directly in this matter until this conflict is resolved."

"Oh yes, when Ares controls the power of Ouranos and moves to take over the Earth will be the perfect time to act." Hephaestus chipped in, disdainfully.

"There's no telling that's what will happen," Hermes added to the cacophony of voices. "The Amazons are a mighty fighting force and my understanding is they have some powerful warriors to aid them."

"A gaggle of warrior women and a couple flashy-dressed bimbos. I'm sure Ares is quivering in his breaches by now." Dionysus commented, half-drunk.

The women on the council, all of whom had done their best to keep their heads level, couldn't tolerate that last slight and were ready to unleash their fury when a column of flames suddenly appeared in the center of the room.

When Hades emerged from it, all the Olympians looked at each other with puzzled expressions.

"What are you doing here, Hades?" Poseidon asked his brother.

"Apart from telling you that you're acting like petulant children, I'm here to inform you that I may have found a way to solve this sordid affair."

Upon hearing this, the female members of the council turned to Hades attentively. This was a matter that directly concerned them after all.

Without waiting for the others to catch up, Hades started explaining to Hera, Aphrodite, Hestia, Artemis, Demeter and Athena:

"When Ares opened a pit into Tartarus and tried to cast Bruce Wayne into it, he inadvertently created a breach in the field surrounding the island."

All the male members leaned in closer when they heard this, their attention now also captivated.

"Even so, that doesn't mean any of us could make it onto the island," Hera said, voicing everyone's concern. "And even if we could, we'd still be bound by the ancient laws."

"Which is why WE aren't going to stop Ares or Ouranos, but we can send our dear heroes something that will send Ouranos to the Underworld where he belongs." Hades explained with a gleam in his eyes.

The room was split into two reactions. On one side, the women were exchanging shocked looks, weighing the possibility of this plan working, while on the other side, the men were looking at Hades like he was a lunatic.

Several sharp taps of Zeus' thunderbolt on his armrest brought all eyes on him. The king of Olympus regarded Hades with caution.

After a couple seconds of stare down between the god of death and the god of thunder, Zeus turned to his son, Hephaestus.

"Could you build something like this?"

Hephaestus waited before answering, not liking this plan at all, but also knowing there likely wasn't an alternative.

"I'll need some help. From everyone. But it should be possible."

"Very well," Zeus concluded with a nod. "Everyone go to Hephaestus' forge now. We must get this weapon to Themyscira as soon as possible."

One by one, the gods disappeared from the council room until only Hera and Hades were left in the room. The goddess of marriage cast a sympathetic smile towards Hades.

"I've never know you to be one to come to the rescue of humans." she noted.

"Call it a change of faith," Hades said with a grin.

With that, both gods disappeared, leaving an empty marble room and twelve empty marble seats.

* * *

"About half of our fighting force is fit for combat, my Queen." Artemis reported with a bow.

"Thank you, Artemis," Hippolyta said with a nod. "Make sure everyone understands this army does NOT need heroes. If they feel weak or are unable to fight for any reason they MUST stay here. We can't afford to lose soldiers because of pride."

Yes, my Queen." Artemis saluted before exiting the command tent to relay the order.

"Alright, how are we going to do this?" Hippolyta asked around the map-covered table. Diana, Bruce and the other heroes were all carefully examining the maps but they all knew the question was meant for Bruce.

"We'll need to engage them on open ground, that much is obvious," Bruce said, pointing out areas on the map. "The beach is likely our best bet. Mala is still struggling with Ouranos so that's something we don't have to worry about for now but we need to make sure we keep her behind us so we can protect her. Anything breaks her focus and we risk having to fight on two fronts."

Bruce turned to Black Canary and Zatanna.

"I want you two to guard her. She's the endgame. If they somehow get her under their control, it's all over. You see anyone come close you take them out. Got it?"

"Got it!" Black Canary and Zatanna replied in unison with grins of anticipation.

"As for Ra's army," Bruce turned to Hippolyta as he spoke. "I'd like Hawkgirl, Batgirl and Flash to assist your Amazons while Kara provides air support and assistance when needed. I know you have issues with men on Themyscira and I apologize bringing him here without your consent but he's a competent, or at least passable, fighter. When this is over, he'll gladly let himself be stepped on by the entire Amazon army."

"Uuuh, no I won't," Flash couldn't say more amidst all the laughter that was spilling out around the table. It was good that they could still have this light tone despite everything that was at risk.

"I understand why you did it Bruce. No need to apologize," Hippolyta acknowledged. "The man may fight with us, and later, he may be stomped by us."

"Lady, there's this thing called sarcasm, not sure if you're familiar…" Flash tried to explain.

Hippolyta ignored the speedster and turned back to Bruce

"Although I feel you're forgetting the most important part. What about Ares?"

Bruce looked over to Diana who was giving him a nasty look from under the hood she was wearing to conceal the mark on her shoulder. Putting on his most charming smile, he showed everyone the sword on his belt:

"I think we can handle him."

 **OH GOD IT'S SO LATE IN THE NIGHT! I HAVE TO GO TO SLEEP!**

 **Hey everyone, thank you times 3000 (oh god what did I just do! The wounds are reopening…NOOOO!).**

 **A bit more lovey dovey in this chapter I know, just something I wanted to give a try with. Let me know if it feels awkward or cringy.**

 **It's been a while since the last chapter so thank you so much to those who have stuck with it all the way to now (not grammatically correct but too tired to correct it).**

 **THANK AGAIN AND DON'T FORGET TO COMMENT, FAVORITE AND FOLLOW.**


	24. Chapter 24

**HELLO, HELLO, HELLO LADIES AND GENTS. WELCOME TO ANOTHER CHAPTER OF IT STARTED ON THEMISCYRA. THANKS SO MUCH TO EVERYONE WHO'S STUCK WITH IT ALL THIS TIME, THROUGH THE LONG HIATUS AND THE WEEKS BETWEEN UPLOADS. FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART, THANK YOU!**

 **I don't really have much more to say, except thanks to everyone who's commented, favorited and followed, it means the world to me. Please do all those things if you enjoy what I write, it gives me strength to keep going.**

 **Enjoy the chapter, and I'll see you at the end!**

* * *

Diana was relieved when her and Bruce were a safe distance away from the Amazon capital. She could finally remove her hood that concealed the hickey Bruce had left on her neck. From this point on, if anyone asked, she'd say it was a battle scar.

Diana thought hard of a way to get back at Bruce as they made their way towards the Batplane, parked on the beach. She still didn't know why they were heading there.

"I need something that'll put me on equal footing with Ares," Bruce replied to her thoughts, making Diana wonder if he wasn't secretly psychic. "I've developed a couple nifty toys to handles some pretty obscenely powerful villains and allies. Hopefully they'll be strong enough for Ares."

"He is a god, Bruce," Diana said. "No matter what you throw at him, it will still be just mortal creations."

"Well, it's a good thing I have a divine creation to back me up." Bruce replied with a smirk.

"The divine creation can also punch you to the moon if you try to kiss her like that again." Diana shot back.

They both laughed as they approached the Batplane. Bruce pressed a button on his wrist display which opened the back of the plane to let them in. Diana followed Bruce who walked up to the main controls and started tapping some buttons. Diana wasn't sure why, but she felt they were being watched; strange...

After a couple seconds, the central display on the console lit up and a small hologram of Alfred appeared.

"How may I help you, Master Bruce?" the butler asked curtly.

"I need you to send me a present, Alfred." Bruce replied with a straight face, to which the butler simply nodded.

"It seems a bit early for Christmas, sir."

"Well, Santa can't make it this year."

Diana watched the exchange with an amused smile. _Must be some sort of security measure Bruce phrase_. Once Alfred and Bruce were satisfied that they were indeed speaking to the real person, business could begin.

"I need you to send the David armor, Alfred. As quickly as possible." Bruce said.

"Oh dear," Alfred sighed. "I suppose it's futile for me to point out that many of its components are still at the experimental stage and it has yet to be used in combat."

"Your comments are duly noted, Alfred. I still need it."

The butler let out a dejected groan and proceeded to type for a couple seconds on a console next to him before turning back to Bruce.

"The package is sent, Master Bruce; it took a while to pin-point your exact location. Time of arrival is estimated at fifteen minutes."

As Alfred said this, a loud rumbling could be felt coming from outside. The battle had begun. Bruce turned back to this faithful butler.

"I've got to go. Tell the boys to behave and keep Gotham safe. We'll see you all soon." Bruce said.

"Very well, sir," Alfred responded with a small smile. "You and mistress Diana take care of each other. The Wayne household still has rooms that need to be filled."

"Alfred you…"

Before Bruce could correct his butler's frivolous imagination, the connection was cut and his hologram disappeared. Bruce turned back to Diana who was concealing a smile behind her hand.

"Rooms that need to be filled, ay?" she asked coyly.

"Maybe we'll have an extra room that needs to be filled when I throw out that wise-cracking butler." Bruce grumbled.

They both made their way outside where in the distance they could sport the Amazon Army and Ares' Army clashing.

"You go ahead," Bruce said. "I can't help you against Ares without the armor. Can you handle him for fifteen minutes?"

"I could finish him in ten." Diana replied with a scowl.

"Don't be reckless, princess." Bruce chided, removing his wrist display and putting it on Diana's forearm. He set a timer for fifteen minutes. "You just have to stall him. Do NOT engage him. Remember, he feeds off your fighting spirit."

Diana looked at the display ticking down.

"I can't promise anything with that man, Bruce."

She flew into the air and off towards the battle, leaving Bruce behind in a swirl of sand.

* * *

Diana did a quick overview of the state of the battlefield. The fighting had already begun, both sides locked in vicious hand to hand combat. So far, she couldn't tell who had the advantage. Bruce's friends were doing a good job keeping the fighting contained on the beach. Now all Diana had to do was find Ares.

That wasn't very difficult. A god of war on the battlefield is like a bull in a china shop: very hard not to notice. Ares was wielding a giant two handed ax which he was freely swinging around, cutting down the Amazons in front of him.

Seeing the lifeless bodies of her sisters, Diana forgot all about Bruce's warning. Gathering up as much momentum as she could, she went into a nose-dive and collided with Ares at full speed.

The impact knocked the war god back several meters, leaving him severely winded. As Ares was recovering, Diana knelt by her fellow Amazons to see if any were alive. Diana felt nothing. They were gone.

"So, you've finally decided to join us, child." Ares' voice sent a shiver of rage down Diana's spine.

She turned around to face him. He held his axe over his shoulders, his face plastered with a confident smirk.

"I'm here to end your invasion of our home." Diana replied. "I WILL save Mala, and I WILL have your head."

Ares chuckled softly.

"Such fierceness, child. Surely I did not raise you to be so violent."

Diana couldn't stand his condescending tone any longer. She drew her sword and aimed a slice directly at Ares' head. The war god blocked it with the butt of his axe and pushed Diana back. He swung his weapon in a deadly ark, missing Diana by an inch as she dodged out of the way.

"This ferocity suits you, Diana." Ares goaded. "Show me more. Show me what you can REALLY do."

Diana chided herself at her loss of composure. She was supposed to have mastered her temper by now, not let it take over at the first sign of provocation. She glanced at the wrist timer: ten minutes left. _Just got to keep him occupied._

"Why should I show you anything?" Diana asked rhetorically. "I know it's only to feed your bloodlust. You have no true power; you must draw it from others. Why not show ME what YOU can really do?"

Ares' eyes were like daggers but Diana stayed strong. All methods were good to keep him occupied.

"You wish to see power, Amazon?" Ares asked. "Let's see if you can handle it."

In the blink of an eye, Ares jumped at Diana, bringing his axe down towards her head. She narrowly dodged the blade and was quickly forced on the defensive as Ares unleashed a flurry of swings. Diana was able to avoid all of them with amazing agility.

"I am still not impressed." she said with a smirk.

Ares' rage only grew. His following strikes were less precise; he left himself more open. Diana led him around in a merry dance across the battlefield, avoiding all his attacks with the grace of a ballerina.

She took several steps away from him and glanced at her wrist: five minutes. _Nearly there._

"Come on, Ares." Diana said with a smirk. "Surely you can do better than that."

"I am all powerful, you wench." Ares growled.

He intensified his attacks, but they were sloppy. Diana easily moved out of the way and responded with several strikes of her own. Ares blocked most of them, except for a swing that cut him right above his eye.

Ares was immortal, the wound disappeared quickly, but the fact he'd let himself get hit enraged him.

"You and your friends will suffer!" the war god snarled.

"Sorry Ares," Diana said with a smirk. "I'm afraid the only one who'll be suffering is you."

She raised up her wrist, showing the countdown hit zero.

An awkward silence of a couple seconds passed, as Ares and Diana stood facing each other, both expecting something to arrive.

"Come on, Bruce. Any time now." Diana whispered, hoping that nothing had happened to him.

"I'm sorry, was something supposed to happen?" Ares asked sarcastically, swinging his axe through the air.

"Oh it's very much happened." a feminine voice spoke behind them.

They both turned and what Diana saw made her stomach twist into a knot. Selina Kyle had Bruce on his knees, hands behind his back, her claws on his throat. Bruce was dressed in what Diana assumed was the suit Alfred sent over.

 _Did she sneak on to the ship?_ Diana wondered, trying to keep her anger towards the feline criminal in check.

Ares didn't need long to understand the situation. He took several steps towards Bruce and Selina, his cruel smile matching his axe blade.

"You were their ally once, I assume." he asked Selina. "Realized you're fighting a lost cause?"

Bruce struggled to get up but Selina kept her foot on his legs, keeping him in place. She moved her claws closer to his throat.

"Easy there, lover," Selina purred, laying a soft kiss on Bruce's cheek. She turned back to Ares. "Sorry, nothing quite so complicated. I only do things that I know can get me a profit. I'm sure you're a very generous man. Generous enough to offer me anything my heart desires if I hand over ol' Brucie here."

"I trusted you, Selina," Bruce growled, trying to turn his head to look at her. "You'd put the entire world at risk for money? For the promises of a tyrant?"

Selina looked at Bruce with a sad look in her eyes. She knelt next to him and brought his face up to hers.

"Oh Bruce," she chided. "You could never understand why I do what I do."

Before Bruce could respond, Selina brought her lips to his and kissed him passionately. The tension in Diana's gut turned into a boiling rage. She gripped her sword tightly, trying to resist the urge to kill Selina where she stood.

After a couple seconds, Selina broke away from Bruce, gazing at him with a tenderness Diana couldn't quite believe. _If she feels this way for him, she couldn't do this to him. It doesn't make sense._

Ares planted his axe in the ground and moved towards Selina and Bruce, arms wide open.

"I understand your plight, child. You are cursed with a love that cannot be returned. Trust me, I understand. Once we have the Amazon girl under our control, we can harness her primordial power to reshape the world as we see fit. You, as a queen, adored by all. Diana as your unquestioning slave, and Wayne, as your unquestioning lover."

Selina paused, taking Ares' offer. She looked over to Diana, then to Bruce.

"Selina, please," Bruce begged. "Don't do this. I know who you are, this isn't you."

"You never knew me, Bruce," Selina said, her eyes brimming with unshed tears. "That's why you could never love me."

Selina got Bruce on his feet and walked him towards Ares. Diana slowly moved closer, ready to attack if she saw an opening. Ares towered over Bruce. He laid a giant head on top of his skull.

"I believe this time; I'll kill you myself." Ares said.

"Too late," Bruce smirked. "NOW!"

Bruce brought his hands from behind his back and smashed them on either side of Ares' skull. Electricity flowed from the devices in Bruce's fist directly into Ares' head. Meanwhile, Selina removed the modified lasso from her belt and proceeded to tie down the war god. Diana paused for barely a second before understanding what was going on. She removed the lasso of truth from her belt and threw it over Ares' torso.

"YOU WILL SUBMIT!" she said, channeling persuasion and certainty into her words.

Ares' movements started to slow down. His reactions became sluggish. Bruce removed his electric gauntlets and produced some sort of aerosol can. He sprayed it over the war god's legs and it immediately solidified, trapping him where he stood.

"YOU WILL SUBMIT!" Diana repeated.

Ares' eyes were starting to close. He was barely putting up a fight.

"I am a god… you insolate specks." he mumbled, trying to gather his strength to fight back.

"Sorry, pal," Bruce replied with a smirk. "Gods bleed too."

Bruce removed a large syringe from his belt and injected the green liquid inside it into Ares neck. The god tried to resist the drug passing through his system but it was too late. After tensing and struggling for five long seconds, his head finally slumped down, his entire body went slack. He was knocked out.

"Eazy Peazy." Selina sighed.

"Thanks for the help, Selina." Bruce said, making sure Ares was well immobilized.

"Yeah, thanks Selina," Diana interrupted, walking up to them. She eyed Selina for several seconds before turning her glare on Bruce. "I believe explanations are due, right before I strangle you."

"Wow, princess, you're in a mood." Selina commented.

"Oh we'll have OUR discussion later, you can count on it," Diana said before turning her ire back on Bruce. "Explain this. NOW."

Bruce nodded. The battle was over at this point. Without Ares to fuel his army with a fighting spirit, they were no match for the combined force of the Amazons and Justice League members. Flash was whizzing around the battlefield, knocking out the last League of Shadows members and Supergirl was taking out stragglers with her heat vision from above.

"It was the best way I could think of to get Ares to lower his guard," Bruce explained. "There was no guarantee my equipment would have an effect on him. I needed him at his least powerful to test my countermeasures. Selina was the only one who could help me do that."

"How long did you know she was following us?" Diana asked, trying to hold back her tears.

Bruce paused. He looked at the ground for several seconds, fists clenched.

"I knew before we left the Watchtower. I told her to come with us."

Diana let out a disbelieving chuckle. She turned her eyes on Selina who stared right back, unflinching.

"I suppose she was the best candidate," Diana whispered, trying to keep the tears out of her voice. "You can't trust me, but you can trust a woman you loved to trick Ares. The kiss was a nice part— "

"Oh grow up, princess!" Selina cut her off. Her tone was sharp with disapproval. She took several paces towards Diana. "In all the years I've seen Bruce come up with plans and strategies to save the day, I've NEVER seen him more hesitant or unsure of himself than when he proposed this one. I had to convince him it was the only way because he was so tormented about doing you wrong. You want to know why he went along with this plan? Because he loves you, more than anything in the world, and he assumed you loved him the same. So he knew that when he told you that it was all an act, that he kept you in the dark so your reaction would convince Ares, he knew that you'd understand because you love him. And that you'd know, in your heart, that he'd never do anything to hurt you because he loves you."

Selina was now the one in tears. She quickly wiped them away and held Diana's gaze. The Amazon Princess couldn't maintain eye contact. She felt very foolish on how she'd reacted. _Why is it that I get so emotional and headstrong all of sudden? I wasn't like this before._

Diana held her hand out towards Selina. After a moment of pause, she grabbed it and they shook hands.

"Thank you," Diana said. "I understand what you lost today."

Selina let out a sarcastic snort but her smile was genuine.

"If you lose him sister, he's fair game." Selina winked at Diana who laughed at the challenge.

Both women looked over to Bruce who watched them both with broad smile. He slipped on his cowl and walked towards them.

"Friends?" Bruce asked.

"Friends." they both replied.

"Good, because we still need to— "

BOUM!

The explosion knocked everyone off their feet. The sand on the beach was kicked up into a tornado. Diana had to hold onto Selina so she wouldn't be carried off. After several seconds, everything settled down and Diana saw a blood-chilling picture.

Bruce laid on the ground, several meters away, blood pooling around him. Mala floated above them, pulsating with primordial energy.

"BRUCE!" Diana screamed out.

But he didn't respond. He couldn't respond.

* * *

 **BOUM! CHAPTER OVER!**

 **Alright lot of stuff happened there. Don't know if I set up the whole Selina arc right (might have set up some other things for later but can't say more for now ;)**

 **For those who might be feeling a bit disappointed in the fight with Ares, I will simply say this: he's not dead right? So he's still technically in the fight ;) (goddam I have to shut my big mouth, it always gets me into trouble).**

 **Hope you liked this latest chapter, please comment, favorite and follow if you did. All support is greatly appreciated.**


	25. Chapter 25

… **I'M BACK!**

 ***dodges rotten tomato** *****

 **Okay, Okay I'm sorry for the wait! It was summer vacation, I was working…**

" **But you posted two consecutive chapters on your other fanfiction!"**

… **yes… but… it's because I needed time to make this chapter I'm releasing now extra special?**

"… **just get on with it!"**

 **Right, right! Hello and welcome back to all those who've followed this story until now! Chapter 25, can you believe it? How far we've come, how supportive and receptive you've all been to these words I try to lay out on a page as elegantly as possible. Truly, from the bottom of my heart: THANK YOU. To all those who've favorited, followed, commented and those who simply read. I am grateful to every person's who's eyes came across this fanfiction.**

 **Now I know that for some of you this syrupy outpouring of gratitude in no way makes up for the MONTHS of wait you've had to endure for this chapter. So in order to redeem myself, I will be answering all comments on my last chapter. Let's get to it:**

 **Guest: I KNOW RIGHT! How dare he!**

 **Roberto B: Thank you, thank you and thank you! It is actually part of my writing objectives. I'm currently sketching out an outline for a screenplay that I hope to write during the school year.**

 **goldenhue: I can agree that compared to Diana she doesn't compare but it feels harsh to call her pointless. Granted the way I utilized her in this story might have deserved a better setup but in other stories she can be a fun and interesting character, like in Batman HUSH for instance.**

 **Lawrence Hbain: None taken. I understand the appeal of seeing our favorite character go all out with his super powered armor. It's just that wasn't personally where I was interested in taking the story. Writing big impressive fight scenes is fun (and really, really hard) but I also want to experiment with other ways of showing a fight. Which I hope is what I was able to do in this chapter. Let me know if I succeeded.**

 **LOTSlover: I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry! Here it is, take it! Each time I receive a notification on one of your stories I'm always like: "now there's someone with a consistent upload schedule. Why can't that be you." ;) Love your stories, you crush it every time.**

 **Timeless Musketeer: I've never seen NCIS LA but the dynamic of two women going after the same man and building a relationship through that rivalry is a dynamic, I agree, that can be very fun to portray. Since Selina shows up so late in the story it isn't as impactful as it should be but I have read a very good fanfic where the Diana, Selina, Bruce love-triangle is very well exploited. I really wish I could remember the name of it… it was based around Diana and Selina switching bodies, if that sounds familiar to anyone. I'd really like to reread it.**

 **Supermaster 51: I SAID I WAS SORRY! Here, read it and tell me if I've eased your suffering. If not, hang tight, the end is within sight (of the fanfic I mean, not like… your life. That got very morbid all of a sudden).**

 **CrazyPhenom: ;) I shall let you read and decide for yourself…**

 **LokiBloodsaw: bro, your new chapter's here, chill. I got you bro. I wouldn't leave you hanging like that, you know me.**

 **JustinC100: Thanks a lot! If the writing is fluid and dynamic to the point where it feels cinematic to you, I feel I've done my job right. It means a lot that you say that. I hope you enjoy the new chapter, it's definitely constructed and written in a way that could be seen as different from previous chapters. You tell me, I like this chapter a lot.**

 **Jprdec29: you asked, and less than 24h later I bestowed ;) Hope you enjoy this one. I'll try to make sure the next one comes out a bit more promptly.**

* * *

 **ALRIGHT, ALRIGHT, THAT'S ABOUT ALL THE COMMENTS ANSWERED. I won't waste any more of your time, enjoy the chapter. The whole premise and way the chapter progressed might not be what you expect but I hope you like what I tried to do here. If not, please tell me in a comment how you would have seen or what you'd do to improve it.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

When Bruce saw and felt, for a split-second, the ray of pure energy hit him, he briefly wondered what would happen next. The thought of his own death and what lies beyond had never occupied much of his headspace. It was generally the people around him who worried about him dying.

Some had told him he'd go to heaven, others to hell. Some had cursed him to a mystical realm of torment after his death, others had blessed him with an unending paradise. There were those who said nothing lied beyond, those who said everything is revealed, those who said nothing is revealed and those who said "it's exactly what you'd expect" as well as those who said, "whatever you think it is, it ain't".

Although now, Bruce had also been introduced to the Gods of Ancient Greece. It had been a while since he'd studied the different parts of the Underworld but to his recollection, it was one of three options: Tartarus, Elysium and the fields of Asphodel. The first for the worst humanity had to offer, the second for the best humanity had to offer and the last for those who fit neither category.

 _Seems like a lot of grey area there,_ Bruce reflected.

All this to say that when Bruce felt he could open his eyes again, he had some slight trepidation about what would be greeting him.

However, of all the oddities he'd tried to conjure in his mind, when he saw a mirror version of himself dressed in a red and yellow batsuit with a bright violet cape and cowl, endlessly repeating the phrase " _Zur-En-Arrh",_ with a small "leprechaun-looking" character dressed in a batsuit floating at his side,Bruce was instantly reassured.

It meant that, at least for now, he was still alive.

* * *

Wally couldn't believe his eyes.

Bruce's lifeless body lying in a pool of his own blood was such a surreal sight Wally instinctively thought this was some sort of illusion or a clever Batman ploy. These thoughts quickly evaporated when, seconds later, Diana let out a guttural scream of anguish and flew straight towards Mala, colliding with her and unleashing a flurry of powerful blows.

Hawkgirl came flying over to Flash holding Batgirl in her arms. Both women shared Flash's look of concern.

"I just spoke with Hyppolita," Hawkgirl said. "Her and the Amazons are falling back towards the city. She seems to believe we're the only ones who stand a chance at this point."

"Wow," Flash said, raising an eyebrow and displaying what he thought was a cool smile. "The fate of the Amazons left, in part, to the hands of a man. I'm sure that'll earn me a…"

"She also told us to tell you…" Batgirl cut in. "that, unless Ouranos can be defeated by tactless jokes and a complete lack of charisma, you should also retreat."

Their light banter was soon interrupted when a loud bang was heard above their heads. Supergirl had joined Diana in throwing as many punches as possible at Mala. It seemed the young Kryptonian had also seen Bruce's body.

"This is not good," Batgirl muttered half to herself. "They'll wear themselves out sooner than later. We need to get them under control, stabilize Bruce as best we can and figure out our strategy. Any idea where Zatanna and Black Canary are?"

"I think I saw them near the Batplane," Hawkgirl said. "Flash, you get over there and tell Black Canary we'll meet her there. Bring Zatanna to Bruce. Let's hope she's got a healing spell in her bag of tricks."

"You got it, boss." With a quick military salute, Flash was off to get Zatanna, weaving through the chaos of energy beams and heat rays coming from the fight against Ouranos or was it Mala.

 _Don't choose this day to die on us, Bruce_ , the Speedster thought grimly. _Otherwise, I won't get to tell everyone how I helped save your life._

* * *

"You really DO think of everything," Bat-Mite said, floating around Bruce's head as the latter sat cross-legged, meditating. "Training your body to enter a 'hibernation state' if ever you're mortally injured, thereby rerouting all energy to your brain to squeeze out precious minutes for someone else to save your life. I mean technically your entire body would atrophy and rot, your brain would be the last thing to go. They'd just have to harvest it, transplant it into a suitable replacement body and you'd be back from the dead. Your mind would still be intact, the thing that gives you your identity, even if everything else wouldn't be yours."

"I don't know why you're explaining me my own contingency plan," Bruce said, trying to keep the exasperation out of his voice. "Or why you're even here and able to talk to me. This is my mind and I'm using up precious energy even having this conversation. Also, what's he doing here?"

Bruce tilted his head towards the Zur-En-Arrh Batman who was curled up in a ball, rocking back and forth, still repeating the non-sensical mantra.

"We belong to the 5th dimension, buddy," Bat-Mite said cheerfully, performing a flip over Bruce's meditating head. "The dimension of imagination doesn't operate by the same rules as the dimension you're familiar with. I'll only leave when I feel like—hey!"

Bat-Mite watched in horror as his feet started to disappear. The effect continued up his legs and towards his chest. Next to them, the Zur-En-Arrh Batman was also disappearing, something he seemed very little concerned with.

"You may wield the power of imagination," Bruce said, keeping his eyes closed but managing a cocky smirk. "But in my own head, I still get to call the shots."

Zur-En-Arrh Batman was now completely gone, while Bat-Mite still had half of himself left.

"You're putting an awful lot of fate in those people outside to save you," Bat-Mite said, as he tried to slow his disappearance. "They've got to defeat that crazy god-chick, then figure out how to get you hooked up to one of only a handful of machines in the whole entire world that could save your life, knowing that the closest one is onboard the Watchtower which is a half hour away and you've only got about fifteen minutes before your brain becomes unsalvageable."

As Bat-Mite finished his rant, the entire world around both of them shook violently. Suddenly, out of the surrounding darkness, a beam of sunlight broke through and fell upon Bruce's meditating form. He could feel the warm light granting him extra strength and clarity.

Bruce opened his eyes and contemplated Bat-Mite with a stare that seemed both profoundly contemplative and all-knowing.

"It looks like Zatanna has just given me the extra time I need," Bruce stated calmly. "I have faith in them, they'll bring me back. Wally couldn't live with himself if he missed an opportunity to gloat about saving my life."

Bat-Mite was down to a floating head, gritting his teeth desperately to stay.

"You'll at least come back to visit right?" Bat-Mite asked, his tone hopeful.

Bruce said nothing as the floating imp's head gradually disappeared and he was left alone in his own mind.

 _I'm pretty sure Diana would kill me if I ever came back to this place_ , Bruce thought with a smile as he returned to his meditation.

* * *

"The only thing I can tell you is that he isn't dead!" Zatanna yelled at Wally in exasperation. It had required a lot of energy to cast that healing spell and the last thing she wanted was to deal with Flash's incessant questions.

"Zee you've got to give us something more than that. Throw us a bone," Flash said. "Diana and Kara are on the warpath. If we don't tell them that Bruce is alive then we don't have a prayer of getting them under control."

"Does the top hat and magic wand not make it obvious enough that I'm NOT a doctor!" Zatanna burst out. "There's something going on inside Bruce's head, some faint activity that I can't make out. We have to assume that he's planned for a situation like this and that he's doing all he can to NOT DIE! So make that sound as appealing as you want and get those two nutcases under control ASAP!"

Flash was at a loss for words after this sudden outburst. He managed a slight congenial nod, slowly backed away and ran over to Hawkgirl and Black Canary who were trying to figure out a way to get Kara and Diana to listen to them.

"What's Zatanna's verdict?" Black Canary asked, her face weathered by anxiety and sadness.

"Per her words, he is 'not dead', whatever that means," Flash said, mimicking the quotation marks. "Hopefully that'll be enough to get Wondy and Kara to take a breather."

"And they're gonna need it soon," Shayera muttered as she observed the fight. "Looks like the tide is turning."

Sure enough, Diana and Kara seemed to be losing stamina. Ouranos was landing powerful hits on both of them, chipping away at their strength bit by bit. Eventually, they'd slip up and Ouranos would land a fatal blow.

"I should be able to get to them and talk some sense into them," Flash said slowly, nervously watching the stray beams of energy landing all over the place.

"That's only one part of the problem," Black Canary said, fist clenched in frustration. "Even if we're able to rally the troops, we don't have anything powerful enough to— "

Before she could finish her sentence, a ray of light from the heavens hit the ground a couple of feet away from them. They heard a distant thunderclap and a second later, a beautiful golden sword was impaled in the sand. Light bounced off of every single surface of the masterfully crafted weapon, sending golden reflects all across the beach.

After a couple seconds of disbelieving stares, Flash was the first to speak up:

"And I'd like a woman who appreciates my innate genius, charm, and wit…"

* * *

Bruce could feel himself slipping away. It had been over 30 minutes since Bat-Mite had disappeared and he didn't feel any better, quite the contrary.

 _Is this really the end of the line?_ Bruce wondered, still sat in his meditation pose.

"You grow weak, detective," a familiar voice spoke.

Bruce opened his eyes slowly and stifled a curse when he saw Ra's Al Ghul standing in front of him.

"Not to worry detective, I'm still merely a figment of your imagination," the Head of the Demon said with a sardonic smile. "Though my presence would seem to indicate that you are losing your mind. Quite literally I'm afraid."

"I'm still in control here Ra's" Bruce bit back as he tried to make the hallucination disappear. "I'm not done yet."

"You overestimate your skills, mortal," another voice spoke. This one belonged to Ares who emerged from the darkness wearing the same scaly black armor as during their fight. "Your mind is nothing more than a shriveled mass at this point."

Bruce couldn't respond. He felt like a red hot spike was being pried into his brain. Bruce laid himself on the ground, panting, desperately trying to stay alive.

A tall lumbering man encased in a blue refrigeration suit holding a large freeze gun walked out of the darkness to stand next to Ares. Mr. Freeze's name matched the coldness of his voice:

"All those times you bested me and this is how it ends? Pathetic."

From behind Freeze emerged a lanky man dressed in a green suit dotted with question marks and holding a green question mark cane. Riddler poked Bruce's prone body with the end of his stick, which he immediately batted away.

"Oh, looks like he's still got some fight left," Riddler noted as he produced a small notebook from his coat pocket. "Riddle me this: what is the beginning of eternity, the end of time and space—"

"Oh shut your mouth already, let the man have his last breath in peace," Two-Face pushed Riddler out of the way, kneeling next to Bruce, who's eyes were barely open. "So this is how the Batman dies?"

Out of the darkness surrounding them all, a faint ray of light cut a clean path all the way to Bruce. It seemed to invite him to it. Asking him to leave this dark place for a better one. One where he'd finally be at peace.

Bruce slowly started to drag himself towards it, only to feel someone pull him back by his leg. When he looked down he came face to face with the red, white and green makeup of the Joker, desperately clawing at his legs to keep him still.

"Don't head towards the light Bruce, it's not fair, they'll never let me in!" he pleaded, his maniacal smile slowly morphed into a fit of uncontrollable laughter and coughs.

 _Damn it,_ Bruce could feel the last bits of energy in his brain running out. _This really is the end of the line…_

* * *

"Is it over?" Flash asked hesitantly, as the swirls of sand kicked up from their battle began to settle down.

Thankfully no one had been seriously injured. Once the "magic sword goober-thingy" had entered the field, as Flash had described it, and Diana and Kara were able to be talked down, the remaining Justice League members were able to team up, coordinate and extract Ouranos from Mala's body.

It took much longer than any of them would have liked but they were eventually able to create a gap in Mala's defense for Diana to cut her with the Olympian sword. It had acted like a magnet, drawing out Ourano's blood while leaving Mala relatively unscathed. The poor girl was still unconscious and Hawkgirl had immediately flown her back to the Amazon capital for proper care.

As soon as she left, Diana, Supergirl, Flash, Black Canary and Batgirl, all panting and covered in grime and bruises, ran over to Zatanna who was cradling Bruce's head in her lap. When she raised her head and Flash saw the tears brimming in her eyes, the Speedster felt like his legs weighed a hundred tons.

Flash fell to his knees, unable to reckon with the idea of Bruce being dead. It just didn't feel real; it shouldn't be possible. Bruce was the one who never gave up and found the answers when everyone else thought it was hopeless. He couldn't die.

Kara broke down in tears, not making any show of strength by trying to hold them back; she was hurting and she needed to vent her sorrow. Barbara removed her cowl and wrapped the young Kryptonian in a comforting hug as she tried to keep her own tears at bay. Black Canary wrapped both girls in a tight embrace as they silently mourned a mentor, a friend and a father.

Everyone was trying to cope with the idea that Bruce was gone, but not Diana. She walked up to Zatanna who was still holding Bruce's body and spoke without a tremor in her voice:

"He's still in there. This can bring him back."

When she held out the Olympian sword now containing the blood of Ouranos, Zatanna jumped to her feet, placing herself between Diana and Bruce.

"You can't be serious," the enchantress said in disbelief. "We were barely able to defeat him once, you want us to go through it again."

"Ouranos' immortal blood can save Bruce," Diana replied, unflinching. "Isn't he worth facing down any foe a second time? And a third time? As many times as it takes to bring him back to us."

"I agree with the princess on this one," a familiar voice made everyone's head turn towards Seline Kyle, gracefully sliding down a sand dune to join the group. "He's strong enough to handle a god inside his own head. His ego doesn't leave room for that."

"And where were you when we were all fighting that god?" Kara asked, trying to keep the bitterness out of her voice.

"First of all honey, I wouldn't call what you were doing fighting," Selina replied with a teasing smile. "And second, someone had to make sure that our boy Ares wasn't going to break loose while you were both blowing a gasket."

Selina walked up to Diana who gave her a grateful smile and nod. She laid a comforting claw on the princess's shoulder, leaned forward and whispered in her ear:

"He knows what he's fighting for."

Diana didn't respond. She moved away from Selina, turned towards Bruce's body and before anyone could stop her, cut a small gash in his arm with the Olympian sword.

* * *

When the incessant cackling of the Clown Prince of Crime and the Riddlers endless stream of bad puns and enigmas started to fade from Bruce's ears, he was certain it was the end. He closed his eyes and readied himself for whatever came next.

Instead, Bruce felt a wave of energy course through his body, lifting him onto his feet. Initially curious, he had a bout of panic when he felt an intense pain inside his skull, like barb wire being tightened around his brain.

Bruce squinted his eyes through the pain, making out a glowing figure in front of him. No, not exactly glowing. Bruce felt the pain in his head subside, allowing him a better look at the strange figure. What he'd mistaken for a glow was actually a multiplicity of glows. It seemed to be draped in thousands upon thousands of tiny glowing specs, all set against a pitch-black robe. Its face proved to be the most impressive part of its appearance. Instead of eyes, it had two miniature black holes, a galaxy in place of a mouth and the rest of its facial features were an arrangement of planets and stars.

As Bruce approached the figure, it held its hand out towards him. Its palm was inlayed with a mass of planets all forming a solar system, all spinning, and spinning, spinning… Bruce held out his hand, let his body relax and grabbed the figure's hand.

 _Diana, I'm so—_

"AAAAAHHH!"

Bruce snatched his hand away as he felt a burning pain run up his arm. Looking at his hand, there was a circular burn mark right on his palm, matching where the sun was on the figure's hand.

 _He'd better not be what comes next_ , Bruce thought grimly.

It was obvious that whatever this thing was, it wasn't friendly and it was still very much part of THIS world.

Bruce moved back several steps but the figure made no move to pursue him. It simply contemplated its palm and parted its mouth to let out an unsettling laugh which seemed to emanate from a hundred different places. When it spoke, it was like the world's greatest echo reverberated a hundred times over:

"Such strength for a mortal. Such pride, such anguish… Dred, pain, despair… Cunning, wit, experience. All that I look for in a host. So much better than that pathetic, weak girl. You are perfect."

"Ouranos." Bruce gathered, dropping into a fighting stance. Though since this was all taking place inside his mind, he wasn't sure how effective his combat skills would be.

"Perceptive," Ouranos remarked, his astrological features morphing into a grin. "Now open your mind, and let me in."

As soon as he said this, Bruce was brought to his knees by a strobing pain that moved from his head all the way down to his feet, to the tips of his fingers, straight to his heart and back up to his head. A raking pain across his entire body, like his very soul was being forced out of him.

"Why do you resist?" Ouranos asked as he slunk closer to Bruce who was unable to move away. The pain had made every muscle in his body lock up. "Your friends have failed. They could not defeat me and they will not save you."

Bruce did not think it possible but the pain coursing through his body doubled in intensity. Any other man on the planet would have given up ages ago, but of course, Bruce was part of the handful of people who had such a symbiotic relationship with pain, he was able to keep a firm hold on his mind, even as Ouranos relentlessly tried to break it.

After several minutes of all-encompassing pain unlike anything he'd ever felt before, Bruce suddenly felt it all recede. As he regained control of his body, he looked up to Ouranos who looked displeased instead of complacently smug like before.

"How are you still here?" Ouranos asked, baffled by what he was seeing. "I am beyond a God, I am what created the Gods and you dare defy me! YIELD!"

Appearing right in front of Bruce, Ouranos laid both hands on his skull and let his power flow into every single fiber of his body.

What Bruce had experienced before could still be qualified as pain, but this now felt like something that needed its own word to describe. Like he was being broken down on an atomic scale and that every atom that composed his body was being burned under a slow flame? By the time Bruce thought of a way to verbalize his pain, it evolved into something even more abstract and horrific.

Every time Bruce thought it couldn't get any worse, it somehow managed to get even worse.

 _This is way beyond anything I've endured or trained myself to endure,_ Bruce thought. _Why is it that I can still hold on?_

Despite these unknown sensations, Bruce still felt like he was able to keep a hold on his mind despite the pain that was seemingly tearing it to shreds. Like there was someone by his side granting him the strength to push through the pain…

"You are not wanted here Ouranos!" a voice shouted from behind him. "Get out of his head!"

Bruce heard the sound of a punch and the pain stopped immediately after. When he opened his eyes, what he saw didn't make sense to him.

Diana stood in front of him, tall and proud, dressed in her impeccable Amazon garb while Ouranos, the God above the Gods, was sprawled on the ground several feet away.

"Diana?" Bruce asked hesitantly.

When she turned to him, tears brimming in her eyes but with a luminous smile that made the darkness around them disappear, Bruce knew it was her. Forgetting all the pain, he ran to her and they both caught each other in a tight embrace and a passionate kiss that seemed to put time around them on pause.

Bruce eventually broke away when he ran his hand along Diana's wrist and felt a liquid running down it. He looked down and saw that Diana had a long cut running up her forearm that was leaking blood onto their uniforms.

Bruce locked eyes with her, wordlessly asking why she was like this. Diana smiled back, playing with two locks of his hair to mimic the bat ears on his cowl:

"You were taking too long to come back. I figured you needed help, and I was right. As usual."

Bruce stopped himself from rebuking her and saying how insane she was to do this. Instead, he remembered their conversation on the ramparts of the Amazon capital before the final battle.

"I would have done the same for you." Bruce admitted, sharing Diana's smirk.

"I know." she said, laying her forehead against his.

After a few seconds of silence, they heard a rustling sound coming from behind them.

"Didn't hit him hard enough it seems," Bruce noted. "Sure you're not slipping?"

"Oh shove it. How do you even punch a bunch of planets?" she quipped back.

They both separated from their embrace to turn towards Ouranos who was back on his feet and who's features were now a mix of disbelief and irritation.

"Is this how desperate you are?" he asked incredulously. "You believe love will save you now? I will crush you all the same."

"Oh we know we can't beat you," Diana replied evenly. "But we can certainly stall you long enough for the Gods of Olympus to get here and in your current form, they'll have no trouble wiping you out of existence."

Bruce was beginning to catch on to Diana's strategy but Ouranos was a bit slower on the uptake since he met her statement with a boisterous, echoing laugh.

"You overestimate yourselves, mortals," Ouranos said. "Even if you're able to stall for that long, they won't be able to destroy me without killing you both in the process."

"As you've stated before, I'm just a puny mortal," Bruce spoke up. "And we're both willing to do all it takes to make sure you don't rise again."

"Actually we're two puny mortals now," Diana corrected. "The only way I could get my blood to mesh with yours was to forfeit my immortality."

Bruce turned to her with a look that could best be described as "flabbergast". He held himself back from saying how foolish she was being since he was pretty sure Ouranos would do it for him.

"Fools," the Sky God muttered, his feet shifting around slightly. "You would throw away immortality and your lives for… what? Love? I will share my power with you. You could have limitless power. Rule the world side by side as king and queen since it's what you seem to desire."

Bruce and Diana exchanged a "he still doesn't get it" look before the Amazon princess answered:

"We have no interest in world domination, but since you appear to be in a bargaining mood, here's our proposition: leave Bruce's body and return to your slumber. Survive and get to try to take over the Earth in another millennium or so, or be destroyed and earn a one-way ticket to Tartarus."

Ouranos' eyes shifted from Diana to Bruce and back again, as if he was expecting this to be an elaborate ploy.

"You are willing to die to defeat me, yet also let me live so I may conquer your world in the future?"

"We're not worried about that," Bruce said with a smirk. "If the heroes we have in a thousand years are the same as the ones we have today, you won't stand a chance."

Ouranos paused. The black holes that formed his eyes seemed to squint in thought for several seconds before he let out a rumbling laugh that didn't hold a note of humor. His words were laced with glee and malice:

"Well, I suppose neither of you will find out. We have ourselves an accord."

As soon as he said those words, the darkness around them began to lift, shifting to gray then white. As Ouranos slowly faded away, Bruce and Diana felt their eyes grow heavy.

"See you soon, princess." Bruce whispered as he wrapped his arms around Diana.

"Let's just sleep in this time." she murmured back.

Bruce didn't have time to laugh before Ouranos' presence left his body and he slipped into unconsciousness.

* * *

 **AND BAM! DONE! Just in time for me to get to class ;)**

 **What did you think of how this whole conflict was written and shown? Yes? No? Any and all thoughts are welcome. Please favorite, follow and comment. I promise that next chapter will be sooner rather than later (which means everything and anything I realize… it'll be there, don't you worry).**


	26. Chapter 26

**WELCOME EVERYONE TO THIS FINAL CHAPTER OF IT STARTED ON THEMYSCIRA! THIS CHAPTER IS DEDICATED TO LOTSlover WITHOUT WHOM THIS STORY WOULD LIKELY NEVER HAVE EXISTED!**

 **I am wrapping up a 6h writing session so I'll leave all the talk to the end (which I wrote before this for some reason…)**

 **Right now I'm just going to answer the question from chapter 25. Here we go:**

 **Angelo47: I'm not saying anything, but make sure you read till the end ;)**

 **LokiBloodsaw: one month wait… I guess it is 20 pages long on the plus side ;)**

 **Supermaster51: Thank you so much! And here is the ending. Hope it matches expectations (famous last words ;)**

 **LOTSlover: I'd like it if you saw this chapter as being dedicated to you, in fact, I'm going to add that at the start. You style was a great contributor to my love for fanfictions and my will to write one myself. The final scene is greatly inspired by your own work. Your talent and passion shine through your words and I wish you all the best in anything you choose to undertake. Respect.**

 **CrazyPhenom: I think I've got some nice surprises in this one too… ;) Tell me what you think.**

 **Timeless Musketeer: the answer to all (or at least some) of your questions ;)**

 **ENJOY THE CHAPTER EVERYONE!**

* * *

Zeus hated his job. Well, the word "hate" and "job" might be a bit too strong. It was a duty, a purpose, rather than a job, and he didn't hate it. He LOATHED it. Having to be a mediator to eleven different voices all trying to express their opinion at the same time, day after day, was a grueling task.

The current state of affairs was Athena and Aphrodite arguing with Ares and Hephaestus in the center of the immaculate marble room where the Olympian Gods held council. However, their argument had slowly shifted away from rational rhetoric to become a free-for-all exchange of insults where each side tried to land the hardest hitting punchline. Everyone else watched on impassively, occasionally throwing in their own view on the manner only to be swiftly ignored or insulted by the bickering pairs.

 _And humans feel their leaders are inefficient_ , Zeus thought dejectedly.

The Lord of Thunder was about to throw down a lightning bolt to return the room to a more orderly state but he was surprised to feel Hera's hand tap his shoulder. He looked over to his wife, surprised by the small gesture. He was more used to cold indifference or scathing contempt, not the empathetic smile she was giving him now.

Hera leaned closer to Zeus to whisper in his ear:

"Rough couple of days, hmm?"

Zeus nodded slowly, easing his hand off of his lightning bolt to lean closer to his wife. Meanwhile, Hermes and Artemis were trying to hold back Hephaestus and Ares who had just rekindled the question of who was deserving of Aphrodite's love. A centuries-long argument had just been reignited to everyone's chagrin and exasperation.

"I wish Diana hadn't let Ouranos escape," Zeus muttered. "The next time he rises, there's no telling if we'll be powerful enough to stop him."

Hera let out a soft chuckle that, again, caught Zeus completely off guard. Since when had his wife laughed, non-sarcastically, at something he'd said.

"First of all, it was Diana AND Bruce's mutual decision to let Ouranos go," Hera corrected. "And second, if a mere mortal was able to hold his own for so long against Ouranos, a band of immortal gods should be more than capable to handle him should he ever rise again. We have several centuries to prepare for him at least."

Zeus smiled slightly at Hera's optimism. She had always been the sort to focus on the here and now instead of worrying about what might happen centuries into the future.

 _That must have been why she ended up marrying me_ , Zeus thought humorously.

"What are you smiling at?" Hera asked, raising a questioning eyebrow.

Zeus beckoned her to come closer, and as she leaned her ear towards his mouth, he laid a soft kiss on her cheek. Hera jumped back into her seat, her cheeks flushing a bright crimson, while the entire council chamber went as silent as a tomb. The four gods who were arguing were now frozen in place, their mouths hanging wide open.

Zeus got up from his throne, cleared his throat and addressed the room:

"I believe the matter on whether Diana and Bruce Wayne were illegitimate in allowing Ouranos to escape has been settled. It would be selfish of us to blame them for embracing a power we so often overlook…"

Zeus cast a meaningful look towards Hera. Her eyes watered ever so slightly but the queen of Olympus kept her expression calm and detached. Zeus returned his attention to the awe-struck room:

"All those in favor to drop this argument and never speak of it again stay silent!"

Predictably, the entire room didn't make a peep since they were too busy trying to wrap their brains around the last couple of seconds of historic progress they had just witnessed.

"Then the matter is settled," Hera concluded, descending from her throne and wrapping a hand around her husband's arm. "Shall we have dinner?"

"I know a place," Zeus replied with a wink.

And with that, they both disappeared in a flash of golden light, breaking everyone out of their trance. As the other gods left the room or sat back in their thrones, Hermes leaned over to whisper to Artemis:

"Your brother won't believe this when I tell him."

"We'll have to wait before we can tell him the news, I'm afraid," Artemis muttered. "His current patient may prove to be his most difficult one yet…"

Before Hermes could crack a joke to release the tension, she disappeared in a cloud of silver dust.

Bruce opened his eyes slowly. In part because he wasn't sure what he'd see when he opened them, but also because he could feel the rays of the sun projecting straight onto his face.

After a couple of seconds of getting his eyes and other senses adjusted, Bruce let his eyes wander around the room he was in. From the ceiling he was under, the very particular scent of sea breeze and wildflowers, as well as the very distant sounds of swords clashing and armor clicking, he had to assume he was in his room inside the Amazonian Royal Palace.

Bruce slowly pushed himself up to sit on the bed which proved to be harder than expected. He felt like his entire body was weighed down with lead and several degrees warmer than normal. Looking down at his body he saw most of it was covered in long bandages covered with some sort of gel he assumed would help him heal.

Taking in the other details in the room, Bruce's eyes immediately fell on the cradled figure sleeping in the rocking chair by his window. Diana's features were covered by her raven hair cascading over her face. She wore a simple white chiton which highlighted her slow, even breathing. Bruce's eyes stayed fixed on her, admiring these tiny details that made his heart beat just a little faster.

Bruce moved his legs over the edge of the bed. They were also covered in bandages, even his feet. Bruce was starting to worry.

 _How the hell am I even alive?_

He looked over to his nightstand and was shocked by what he saw. It was covered in bloody surgical pads, alongside a needle and thread and other bits of medical paraphernalia, all covered in blood. Looking down at his bed he saw that the sheets and mattress were red instead of white, stained with large patches of dried blood.

Bruce looked over to Diana and noticed that her hands were also covered in blood. He pushed himself urgently off the bed only to find his legs weren't supporting his weight and gave out underneath him. Lying prone on the ground, Bruce dragged himself over to Diana who shifted slightly but stayed asleep.

Bruce moved up to the foot of the rocking-chair and reached out to slowly part the mop of hair covering her face. What he saw broke his heart. Diana carried the red streaks of tears and the pale complexion that came from intense fear and anxiety.

Bruce ran his hands down from Diana's face to her fingers. He cradled them in his hands and brought them to his face, kissing them softly, cursing himself for making his princess stoop to his level like this.

This was the inescapable truth of their relationship. At the end of the day, he was a mortal, while she was a goddess. Even if Bruce wasn't hit by a lucky bullet or made a costly mistake in the heat of battle, he would still suffer the inescapable passage of time. He would grow old and weak while she would remain young and beautiful forever.

Bruce felt Diana's hands move in his, grasping both his hands firmly as the rest of her body slid off of the chair and onto his and her lips connected with his. Both their hands snaked up into each other's hair, grasping onto it as if holding on to a lifeline. Their kiss was passionate but also served as a mutual reassurance that they were both here together.

When they broke the kiss, Bruce was lying on his back against the marble floor with Diana watching over him, both her knees placed at his side to not exert pressure on his wounds.

She smiled lightly. A soft, loving smile that made her tears beaten cheeks and worried eyes disappear. All that past pain was gone. They were together, once again.

"Don't ever leave me," she whispered gently, placing her forehead against his.

"Never." Bruce swore. He ran his hands over her face, pushing stray hairs out of her face and rubbing away the red marks left by her tears.

After several seconds spent in comfortable silence, enjoying the feel and sounds of each other's bodies, Bruce looked into Diana's eyes and asked:

"How am I still alive?"

Diana marked an imperceptible pause before delivering the answer without pretense:

"Apollo had to make you immortal."

Diana couldn't read Bruce's expression and she decided to just get all the big news out at once:

"I did not lose my immortality from our fight with Ouranos."

Diana saw a small gleam in Bruce's eyes, so she decided to lay everything out at once, no regrets.

"And I'm pregnant."

One second of silence.

Two seconds of silence.

Three seconds of silence.

Four seconds of…

"I think one of my stitches broke," Bruce stated simply.

They both looked down at his torso and saw that a small leak near Bruce's ribs had formed a large pool of blood on the immaculate marble floor.

"I'll get the surgeon." Diana urgently said.

She got up off of Bruce's chest and was about to head for the door when she was held back by a hand around her wrist that pulled her back to the floor. Bruce leaned close to her ear and whispered:

"Diana…"

"What?!" she asked urgently.

"Will you marry me?"

He laid a soft kiss on her cheek before his vision blurred from the blood loss and he eventually fell unconscious.

Superman was at a loss for words. Flash, Hawkgirl, Batgirl, Supergirl, Black Canary, Zatanna and Catwoman were all seated around the conference table looking at him with expressions ranging from bemused to disinterested.

Superman cleared his throat before addressing them:

"Okay, just run it by me one more time…"

Before he could finish his sentence, Flash let out an unintelligible and indescribable sound. Everyone else looked at him like he'd just let out a burp, except for Supergirl and Superman who were able to hear the entire report that Flash had voiced in less than a second with his super speed.

"Run it by me, slowly." Superman repeated, emphasizing the last word.

"Ra's Al Ghul and Ares were hatching a plot to take over this island populated by female warriors called the Amazons," Batgirl stated. "Their goal was to bring back an ancient Greek deity known as Ouranos, using the host body of a young Amazonian girl. That did not happen, we were able to stop them and everything is back to normal."

Superman massaged the bridge of his nose. He recognized Bruce's dislike for justifying his actions in how they were all behaving. _Oh my god, it's spreading_ , Clark lamented.

"Okay, and where is Ra's now?" Superman asked.

"The Amazons have him," Hawkgirl replied. "His sentence will be handled by them."

"That's not how justice works," Superman said evenly, not entirely comfortable with leaving someone's fate in the hands of a mysterious race of warrior women, even someone as repulsive as Ra's Al Ghul.

"They're a sovereign nation that isn't attached to any international governing body," Supergirl chipped in. "Anything we try to impose on them at this point would be unlawful and unjust on our part. But don't worry, they gave us insurance he wouldn't be killed."

On any other day, Clark would have commented on how there are fates worse than death but at this point he just wanted the meeting to end.

"What about these… gods? Ares and Ouranos? Are their punishments also being handled by people we have no hopes of negotiating with?"

Everyone around the table shared a conspiring look before Zatanna gave the answer:

"Ares is a god, so there isn't much punishment that can be brought to him but considering all the crap he's stirred up, I think he realizes he'd better stay under the radar for a while. And Ouranos won't be an issue for a least another millennium. No worries."

"Great!" Superman said with an exasperated sigh. "What about Bruce and Diana, do we not need to worry about them for another millennium?"

Everyone, again, shared a grin and looked to Flash to deliver the final news.

"Bruce said we had to consider Catwoman for JL membership," Flash said, marking a noticeable pause. "And he wanted to know if you'd be his best man?"

The entire room burst into laughter when they saw the glorious look of surprise form on Clark's face.

Clark remembered that meeting with a whimsical smile as he looked out over the calm Pacific Ocean. He watched as the sun cast an iridescent glow on the water that was so still it almost resembled a mirror. Strange qualities to find in the ocean, even if it was the Pacific.

As he looked at his watch to make sure they were still on time, he felt a pair of arms snake around his waist and a familiar face slide under his shoulder.

"What's got you thinking, Smallville?" Lois Lane asked, raising a questioning eyebrow that Clark couldn't help but smile at.

"Just trying to grasp the reality of what is about to happen and what has already happened," Clark replied slowly. "How did you react when you found out I was Superman?"

Lois slid up in front of Clark, resting her back against his chest, as they both looked out over the sea.

"Got completely drunk," she stated bluntly. "Questioned everything I knew about the world and myself, doubted endlessly, was terrified and in the end… trusted my instincts. And here we are."

She flashed Clark a smirk that he responded to by laying a small kiss on her forehead.

"And here we are." he echoed.

After several seconds of listening to the waves roll onto the surf and the distant cries of seagulls and tropical birds, Clark and Lois heard another pair of footsteps approach.

"Mister Kent, Misses Lane, they're about to begin." a crisp British accent spoke.

Clark turned to look at Alfred who, much like him, was dressed in a perfectly fitted luxury tuxedo.

"I'll be right there, Alfred," Clark replied. He turned to Lois and exchanged a quick kiss. "See you later."

"Remind him to breath." Lois said with a wink.

Clark parted from Lois, following Alfred into a large tent reserved for the groom.

Inside, Clark spotted Bruce, looking himself over in front of a mirror, inspecting every detail of his complexion and each fold of his tuxedo to make sure it was perfect. He wore a classic black tuxedo, custom made by France's most talented designer at a price that trumped most people's yearly income. From the solid gold cufflinks to the rare Japanese silk dress shirt he wore underneath his tux jacket, every element of his outfit was the most expensive and finely crafted version available.

Bruce saw Clark and Alfred enter the tent in the reflection and turned away from the mirror to approach the two men.

"You look dashing, sir," Alfred commented with an approving nod.

"I feel… like something's missing," Bruce ground out. "Did I forget to put cologne on?"

"Smells pretty good from where I'm standing," Clark noted, receiving a sudden batglare from Bruce. _It's nice to know some things don't change_ , Clark thought.

"You have it?" Bruce inquired urgently, looking at Clark with a narrowed gaze.

Clark thought for a second about patting his pockets in terror but he didn't want to risk giving his friend a heart attack. Instead, he produced from his breast-pocket a small box which he opened for Bruce to see. An immediate look of relief flashed across his face.

"It's beautiful, Bruce," Clark said.

"Of course it is. It was my mother's." he replied evenly.

Clark paused in surprise, taking a moment to properly admire the ring. It looked simple at first glance, but that would have been to someone who didn't know its dark and tragic history. The band was made of pure silver, engraved with small roses and doves along its circumference. Considering it was no more than a few millimeters wide, there was no telling how its craftsman had been able to achieve that level of detail. A beautiful sapphire was set in its center, bringing a beautiful contrast to the silver of the band. Finally, a pair of small pearls framed the jewel, harmonizing the overall shape of the ring.

Clark shifted his eyes from it to Bruce who looked away and returned to the mirror to recheck his appearance for the hundredth time.

Clark reverently closed the box and placed it safely back in his breast-pocket.

After a couple seconds of silence, Clark approached Bruce and Alfred, whom the latter was helping adjust his bowtie.

"Were you able to come to an agreement on the ceremony?" Clark asked conversationally.

"It appears Miss Hippolyta and I will be delivering Miss Prince together," Alfred stated, as he accommodated his surrogate son's paranoia about his bowtie not being perfectly straight. "It's obvious that the customary protocol of the father giving his daughter away couldn't apply in this situation."

"And Hippolyta wasn't about to let a man give away her own daughter anyway," Bruce added, still dissatisfied with the state of his bowtie. "So hopefully this compromise makes everyone happy."

"Maybe Hippolyta could give Bruce away and Alfred gives away Diana," Clark said with a smirk. "Or the other way around?"

"Alfred did you put kryptonite on the wedding ring like I asked," Bruce asked in a deadpan posture that left Clark anxiously patting the box that sat right over his heart.

"No sir, I'm afraid I was too busy readjusting your bowtie for the eightieth time," Alfred deadpanned right back, finishing his adjustments and taking a step back to admire his work. "As perfect as the first time I tied it," he noted drily.

Before Bruce could start worrying about it all over again, Flash's head suddenly pocked into the opening of the tent. Although today, he was Wally West, his reddish hair matching the horrendous crimson tuxedo everyone had recommended he not wear.

"It's time guys." the speedster said with a barely restrained grin.

"Thank Wally," Clark replied. "We'll be right out."

Clark and Alfred lined up on either side of Bruce, just in front of the exit to the tent.

"Can I do this?" Bruce asked.

"I have no doubt in my mind, sir."

"You more than anyone, Bruce."

Taking in a deep breath, the groom took a step out of the tent into the busy outdoor wedding venue.

Everyone wants to get married in paradise. And this private island Bruce had bought for the occasion was about as close as one could get to paradise without going there the hard way. It was the closest island to Themyscira, a detail Hippolyta had made unconditional. It was several miles large and had all the components for a dream tropical island. The perfect ratio of foliage to sandy beaches, surrounded by crystal blue water that teamed with exotic fish and multicolored coral. A body of fresh water at the foot of a small mountain that gave an impressive view over the whole property. No runway or state of the art technological gadgets, just a beautiful hand-crafted wooden villa with a couple of guest rooms, that was it. There was also a decent population of wild animals hiding in the forests of the island; they hadn't evolved to fear man so they could be petted and fed without a care in the world.

The island awoke all five senses and exposed them to so many new flavors and sensations that were impossible to find anywhere else. The scent of sea breeze mingling with the char of a wood fire and the dried sap of a birch tree. At night, to be able to hear the distant cries of birds against the backdrop of waves lapping the surf. If you closed your eyes and wandered the island with your hands held out, you'd feel the miniscule ridges of hundreds of different seashells, the coarseness of palm tree bark, the softness of a deer's coat, the coolness of the freshwater pond and the loving embrace of your lover's arms. If you keep your eyes closed, the tastes of the island are just as special. Pineapple, mango, passion fruit, banana, coconut, papaya and dragon fruit, each with their unique combination of sweet, bitter and flavorful. And when you finally decided to open your eyes, gaze out over the horizon and watch the warm colors of the sun stain the sea in gold. But then you look to the person with whom you're sharing all of this and know that they are the most beautiful and perfect thing you'll ever see.

The wedding was being held in front of the villa, on the beach, with a beautiful clear sky and a bright sun that breathed life and joy into the ceremony. A couple of deer, rabbits, and parrots were observing the event from the edge of the forest, their keen eyes curiously watching over the proceedings.

The ceremony was small and intimate since the only guests were those who knew Batman's true identity. This short list of people meant that three rows of chairs were enough to accommodate everyone.

In the back rows were Zatanna, Kara, Dinah, Artemis, Phillipus and… Selina. The last two seemed to have hit it off almost immediately, talking about how men's natural status should be in subservience to women. The second row was made up of the Justice League's founders. J'onn and Wally were trying to be discreet about the bulk bag of Oreos they were covertly devouring, while John and Shayera had their hands laced together and talked quietly to each other.

The first row mainly consisted of Bruce's family. Dick, Tim, Barbara and Jason were all chatting with Mala who stood on the stage as Diana's bridesmaid. Jason was making a joke about Mala's petite frame having to dance with Clark's massive one before Lois Lane slapped him upside the head and gave both him and Mala a passive-aggressive glare.

As soon as Bruce, Alfred and Clark emerged from the tent, everyone quieted down and the few people standing quickly sat down. Alfred discreetly peeled off from the group to go wait by the bride's tent while the groom and his best man walked up the aisle.

Bruce had to try very hard not to bestow a batglare to anyone who happened to cross his eyes and smirk at him. Every step felt like it was weighed down by several kilos of steel. Clark could see Bruce's veins pulsating on his neck and hands.

"Breathe, Bruce," Clark whispered as they continued to walk towards the altar. "If you pass out now you'll never be able to do a batglare ever again."

"I slipped Kryptonite in the champagne," Bruce replied without moving his jaw.

The two men walked the last few steps in silence. Bruce set himself in front of the audience and Clark moved at his side, a couple of paces behind him.

"Looking good, Bruce!" Wally shouted from the second row, eliciting a few chuckles from the crowd.

"Running with broken legs is tough, Wally," he replied with the same tone. As he finished his sentence, soft violin music began to play from the back of the room.

Bruce tensed up instinctively but immediately relaxed when his eyes fell on the new arrival.

Diana was dressed in a lavender-colored satin backless dress with a train that lingered several feet behind her. The dress hugged just the right curves while remaining elegant and flowing. The most prominent and important curve of all being the bump in her belly that was now clearly noticeable. Her hair was tied into a practical yet fashionable braid that hung over her naked back.

Alfred and Hippolyta were on either side of her, each holding her hand and synchronizing their pace as they walked up the aisle. Diana crossed Bruce's gaze briefly and quickly ducked her head, trying to suppress a smile, when she saw his jaw hanging open.

After what felt like years for Bruce and Diana, she was finally by the altar, within reaching distance of the man she had chosen to share her heart and body with. The smile they exchanged was so charged with mutual affection and passion, they both had the same spontaneous thought of ditching the ceremony and running off together.

As if reading their mind, Hippolyta moved in front of her daughter to walk up to Bruce. He was taller than her by a couple of inches, so he hunched forward to hear what Hippolyta whispered in his ear:

"Bless you both, Bruce. Take care of each other, support each other and love each other with all your heart. We never think about spending eternity with someone until we actually have to spend eternity with someone. It won't just be smooth sailing, there'll be some rough patches, but in the end, I know you will make each other happy. Welcome to the family, son."

Bruce straightened, looked into Hippolyta's eyes and saw she was completely sincere. They both paused for a second and simultaneously embraced each other in a strong hug. There were one or two gasps from the audience, a low whistle from Wally which was quickly interrupted by Barbara hitting him with her stiletto.

When Bruce and Hippolyta separated, the latter gave him a final maternal pat on the cheek before taking a seat in the first row next to Jason, who did his best not to comment on what had just happened.

Bruce took several seconds to let his emotions fizzle out a bit, as this unexpected display of compassion from Diana's mother had stirred up old memories he was determined to keep locked away. Bruce looked over to Alfred and Diana who were both looking at him with kind smiles, and he knew his old painful memories would soon be replaced by new joyful ones.

The old British butler turned back to Diana, holding both her hands in his and saying to her:

"I know it is redundant to say Master Bruce can be a lot to handle at certain points, but you've already experienced it and have both emerged stronger from it. You are a blessed presence in his life Miss Diana, and I look forward to greeting you at Wayne Manor as Misses Diana Wayne."

Diana didn't wait like Bruce and Hippolyta. Instead, she threw her arms around Alfred and hugged him tightly, eliciting another shocked reaction from the crowd. The old butler was clearly uncomfortable with the sudden show of affection and simply patted Diana on the shoulder.

When Diana moved away from Alfred, he went to sit beside Hippolyta. They both exchanged a knowing look and shared a brief smile like they were laughing at an inside joke between the two of them.

Now that everyone was seated and the bride and groom where here, the ceremony could commence. Although for now, there was no one to administer it.

It only took a couple of seconds for Wally to loudly announce what everyone was wondering:

"So who's going to call this sucker?"

"If nobody has any objections," a soft, angelic voice spoke. "I believe I might be of service."

Out of a rainbow-tinted mist, a tall woman emerged, dressed in a simple white chiton with silver accents. Her skin was flawless and slightly tanned. It matched her blond hair, every strand of which seemed to catch the light of the sun like golden strings. J'onn made the executive decision to telepathically put Wally to sleep before he said anything tragic.

Aphrodite stepped towards both lovers and held out her hands. They each gave their hand. Bruce was clearly more reticent about it but ultimately preferred having Aphrodite administer the ceremony than a priest.

"Today, we unite two halves of the same soul," Aphrodite began. "Diana, Bruce, you've searched for each other for many years, and now, we celebrate your eternal reunion."

Aphrodite joined Bruce and Diana's hands, placing her own around their interlaced fingers. She produced a long band of gilded silk which she wrapped around their hands.

"I bless this union by my power as goddess of love, and with the benediction of Hera, goddess of marriage," Aphrodite announced to the heavens. "No power on earth will ever break this union. As sure as the sun rises and seasons change, this union will endure for centuries."

"Get on with it." Bruce muttered under his breath. He winced slightly when he felt Diana's nails cutting into his skin and she gave him a steely glare.

"It seems they cannot wait to begin the honeymoon," Aphrodite joked which made (almost) everyone chuckle. She removed the golden ribbon and looked to Clark and Male. "May we have the rings please."

The maid of honor and best man stepped forward and handed their respective rings to the bride and groom. Bruce and Diana kept one hand linked and held their rings in the other.

"We will now hear their vows," Aphrodite said before purposefully looking to Bruce.

It was clear to everyone he was uncomfortable about going first but Bruce swallowed his nervousness, straightened up and spoke his vows:

"Diana, when I met you I was a broken man. I estranged myself from a family that needed me, grew distant from friends who relied on me, and was stuck in an endless spiral of needing to face more and more of the world's evil. I told myself that if I faced this darkness alone, I could somehow protect everyone else. I thought it was a sacrifice, but it was arrogance. You showed me that. When we first met, you defended me so unconditionally and without hesitation, it took me off guard. Back then I thought you were naïve protecting a complete stranger you'd never seen before. Your decision wasn't based on cold hard logic and reasoning, it came from love and compassion. From then on, you continued to amaze and surprise me with your gentleness and purity. Each minute I spent with you felt like I was shedding weights from an invisible backpack I'd been carrying for years. It took me time to accept that what I was feeling was love. I was in love with you the moment I emerged from that escape pod, and I my love for you only grew as I spent time with you. Our first kiss in the bathhouse felt like the first time I'd been able to breathe in years. You saved me, Diana. And I swear to you on my life, my honor, everything I possess materially and in spirit, that I will always return to you and our family. I love you, Diana."

For the next couple of seconds, the only sound was the natural noises of the island. Everyone in attendance was speechless at the sincerity and openness Bruce had just displayed. Everyone was happy that Wally had been put to sleep. He would most certainly have tried to use it against Bruce later. The Justice League couldn't afford to have one of their most powerful members take a prolonged medical leave.

Diana was fighting to keep her tears at bay. She wanted to dismiss them as a result of her hormonal imbalance due to the pregnancy, but she knew better. It never failed to affect her, hearing Bruce speak so openly and passionately about her; about them.

She took a couple of seconds to collect herself, wiping away her tears and looking down at her hand, onto which Bruce was placing the most beautiful ring she'd ever seen. The blue of the sapphire immediately made her think of her eyes that Bruce always commented on, and the lavender scent he said followed her wherever she went.

Diana eventually tore her eyes away from the ring to gaze deeply into Bruce's eyes. Without a single word, her joy and gratitude were evident, which Bruce reciprocated with a warm smile.

Heaving a deep breath, Diana delivered her own vows:

"You saved me, Bruce. You say that I saved you, but you have done the same to me. Before you entered my life, I felt alone, misunderstood, and filled with resentment. I thought I had something to prove, that I was destined for some unknowable high purpose. But you brought me back to earth. You pulled me from my lofty pedestal and sent me crashing into the dirt. You made me realize I couldn't help and protect others if I wasn't being true to myself. Your training and companionship helped shape the warrior I am today, and your love has shaped the woman I am today. I hurt you so much, yet you continued to give me your love. I give you my heart, Bruce Wayne, and I want nothing more than to raise a family with you, as husband and wife."

With that, Diana gently took Bruce's in hers and slipped on a simple platinum band with a minuscule inscription around its circumference. Bruce leaned forward to read the words: _The heart has its reasons of which reason knows nothing._

Bruce smiled to himself and kissed the ring before kissing Diana's hand. They both shared a long and loving look that everyone else watched with smiles, and some, with misty eyes.

Aphrodite cleared her throat after a couple seconds to return everyone's attention to the ceremony.

"Bruce Wayne of Gotham City, do you take this woman to be your wife?"

"I do."

"Diana of Themyscira, do you take this man to be your husband and adopt the name of Diana Wayne?"

"I do."

Aphrodite smirked as she saw that they were both on the tips of their feet, their leg muscles tensing up, like track runners before the starter pistol.

"By my power, you are now husband and wife. You may do the thing."

Ignoring her quip, Bruce and Diana wrapped their arms around each other and connected their lips in a passionate kiss. They completely forgot the applauds and cheers from their friends as they held on to each other for dear life, pouring all their love and tenderness into this one kiss.

Almost an entire minute passed before the two separated and drew in a quick breath of much-needed air. They finally noticed that Aphrodite had disappeared and that everyone was cheering with wide smiles on their faces.

Hooking one arm around the other's, Bruce and Diana walked down the aisle, smiling brightly at each other and everyone else in the crowd.

Everyone followed them into the main villa to celebrate before the honeymoon officially began.

"It was a lovely reception. Thanks for the invite." Lois Lane said as she hugged Diana and Bruce, her breath smelling a bit too strongly of champagne.

"You've got a beautiful little place here," Clark echoed her praise. "If you ever want company, you know who to call."

"You'll be the first on our list." Diana acquiesced, wrapping Clark in a hug.

"In a couple more years maybe." Bruce said with a smirk, shaking hands with his best friend.

"Yeah, wait to have a couple more kids right?" Lois quipped, a smirk plastered on her face. "Speaking of which, Smallville, what are WE waiting for?"

Clark became strangely interested in the composition of the sand at his feet. Bruce committed this moment away to memory. Obtaining information that could make Clark uncomfortable was a quest he had dedicated his life to.

"We should probably get going," Clark announced, clearing his throat. He started walking off towards the waiting jet, floating on the water. The other guests were boarding and waiting to say goodbye to the couple.

Wally was busy complaining to J'onn about why he hadn't woken him up when he saw he'd fallen asleep. The stoic Martian kept his facial features neutral while Shayera and John were desperately trying to hide their laughter, to Wally's dismay.

"Well, see you in a week, Bruce," Clark said as he and Lois boarded the jet. "Enjoy the honeymoon."

"Send us some pictures… oh wait…" Lois said humorously before Clark steered her to her seat.

Hippolyta walked up to the couple and embraced her daughter and son-in-law. She laid her hand on Diana's protruding belly and stroked it wonderingly.

"I really do wish you'd tell me the sex of the child," she said with a sigh. "The knowledge would put me at ease."

"No mother, it would only reassure you in one of the two scenarios," Diana said with a knowing smile. "No matter the child's gender, we will raise him with love and care."

"But you will bear him on Themyscira?" Hippolyta asked.

"What is promised is due, Hippolyta," Bruce chimed in, visibly displeased that he'd agreed to this. "As long as we can bring Lesley and the proper equipment, I have no issue with our child being born on Themyscira."

Hippolyta nodded her head in satisfaction and after a few more words of support, she walked up the ramp to the jet, followed closely by Artemis, Phillipus and Mala who all gave their congratulations and well-wishes to the new couple.

Finally, this only left Alfred and the rest of Bruce's family, who waited patiently at the base of the boarding ramp.

"Enjoy this week, both of you," the old butler said. "I believe you have everything to last without my help."

"We can survive on our own, Alfred, don't you worry about that." Bruce said which earned him laughs from the rest of the Bat family.

"Have you ever operated a washing machine in your life?" Tim asked, trying to stifle a laugh.

"If you even touch the coffee machine I fear it might explode." Jason chimed in.

"Remember the lawnmower incident?" Barbara said.

"Oh Alfred remembers alright," Dick laughed. "Weeks of work to fix the lawn damage, months of therapy for the mental trauma."

"Alright that's enough," Bruce cut in as Diana started giggling. "Get out of here. See you all in a week."

They all nodded and said their goodbyes to the couple. They all boarded the jet and waved a final goodbye as the ramp folded back and closed. Bruce and Diana watched as the jet rose higher and higher into the sky before taking off at maximum speed and disappearing into the distance within seconds.

They laced their hands together and walked back to the villa in silence, enjoying the sounds of the sea and the feel of the warm sand under their feet. When they arrived at the porch of the wooden house, Bruce lifted Diana off her feet and into his arms. With a laugh, she wrapped her arms around his neck and let herself be carried into their new vacation home.

Bruce led them into the bedroom, which was what the entire residence was centered around. Its design left plenty of possibilities for enlarging and adding to the original structure, but its core would always be Bruce and Diana's room.

Its layout was fairly ordinary, with the real beauty coming from the large glass folding doors that opened onto a porch which led straight to the beach. It was facing the ocean in such a way that they could always see the sunset. Currently, the room was basked in a red-orange light that granted a peaceful and soothing iridescence to their nuptial bed.

Bruce set Diana on her feet, and they both separated to different parts of the room. Bruce unfastened his tie, while Diana undid her hair.

"I wonder if Giorgio will give me a refund on this suit," Bruce said with a smirk as he removed his cufflinks.

"Bruce Wayne returning his several thousand-dollar wedding tuxedo?" Diana said humorously, carefully placing her earring in a small jewelry box. "Unlikely."

"I don't plan on getting married again," Bruce said as he removed his jacket.

"That's not my point, Bruce." Diana sighed in amusement.

"We're doing the same with your dress," Bruce said over his shoulder as he buttoned down his shirt.

"You'll do no such thing!" Diana snapped back, pulling down the zipper that ran along the edge of her dress. "I like it a lot. And I know it's shocking to you, but I could see myself wearing this for non-wedding related affairs."

"I guess that's what we're doing now." Bruce quipped as he removed his pants.

"Oh that we are," she whispered softly in his hear, pressing her body against his naked back, which made his muscles tense with pleasure.

Bruce turned around to admire Diana. Bruce had just seen a goddess, the goddess of love no less. She did not hold a candle to Diana. Every curve, crevice and hollow of her body looked like it was sculpted. Bruce could not imagine such physical perfection and he silently cursed Diana's lingerie that hid the full beauty of her figure.

Diana ran her eyes over the towering figure before her and immediately felt her heart rate quicken. She had heard some of her Amazon sisters, who'd seen Bruce shirtless when he was being healed, coin the term "topographical map of pain". Diana disagreed completely. Bruce's body was a beautiful tapestry that showed the courage and determination of a mortal who was able to protect and inspire millions. The beautiful interplay of his many scars with his perfectly defined muscles stirred a heat deep within Diana's core that she needed to satiate. She could see that Bruce was feeling the same way from looking at her.

Simultaneously, in two quick strides, they were in each other's arms. Their tongues passionately explored each other's mouths, while their hands grasped thick mops of hair or held the other's body closer against them. It was primal and raw, and they enjoyed every second of it.

After minutes of fierce foreplay in each other's arms, they had to break away to catch their breath and try to slow their raging heartbeats. Diana rested her head on Bruce's shoulder, laying delicate kisses along his collarbone. She felt his hands grip her shoulders from the action and also sensed Bruce's member reacting from her touch. Savoring the effect she had over him Diana continued to trail kisses up his neck, standing up on her tiptoes to kiss his cheeks and the corners of his lips. Bruce let out low growls and moans as Diana drove his body closer and closer to the edge.

After several seconds, Diana finally relented her attacks but didn't break away from Bruce. She slid her hand slowly down from his hair, over his shoulder, along his ribs, over his beautiful abdomen and down onto his engorged member. Bruce tried to hold back the hiss of pleasure that escaped of lips as he gazed into Diana's loving eyes.

"Take me, Bruce," she whispered.

When she uttered those words, it was like a switch had been flipped inside Bruce's head. In one swift motion, he lifted her off her feet and carried her over to their bed. He laid her down gently on the mattress, ridded himself of his cumbersome boxers and slowly moved over Diana's body like a snake.

He kissed her ankles slowly, running his fingers along sensitive parts of her body. As he moved to her legs, then her thighs, he felt Diana squirm under him more and more. Just like she'd done to him, he showed no mercy. When he reached just below her loin, he came face to face with the soft texture of her lingerie. Bruce was going to tease Diana some more but she ripped the undergarment away in frustration and grasped Bruce's hair tightly as he proceeded to pleasure her.

For a couple of seconds, Diana couldn't string together a coherent thought. This sensation was unlike anything she'd ever felt before. She pushed her head back against the pillows and called out Bruce's name in ecstasy.

When Bruce moved up to her navel, Diana was left panting for breath from the high she'd just experienced. She already dreaded how he'd make her feel when he reached her next piece of clothing.

Moving past her stomach and on to her chest, Bruce again recognized the texture lingerie. This time however, Bruce carefully removed it to reveal the beautiful form of Diana's breasts. With slow deliberate moves from his tongue and hands, Bruce proceeded to ravish every possible angle of these two stunning mounds. He nipped and played with her nipples like a child, the idea of which drove him and Diana even crazier.

Eventually, Diana couldn't take this onslaught of pleasure anymore. She needed release. Cradling Bruce's head between her breasts, she ran her hands through his hair, and whispered softly in his ear:

"I need you now… please."

The silent pleading note at the end of her sentence made Bruce's blood boil. He lifted himself off of Diana's chest, propping himself up above her with his arms. He looked deep into her loving, teary eyes, and said:

"I love you, Diana. Always."

She reached out to stroke the ruff stubble on his cheeks, staring longingly into his piercing blue eyes.

"I love you, Bruce."

Diana's tone was like a command she was delivering, which Bruce understood perfectly. He slowly brought his member to her opening, brushing and pushing against it. Diana let out more moans and pleas which drove Bruce close to insanity.

In one smooth motion, Bruce inserted himself inside her. They both let out cries of pleasure, as his member reached deep inside Diana's core, and as her inner walls constricted and excited him even more.

Suddenly, Diana rolled Bruce off of her, letting him lay on the bed as she sat on top of him. She way her smooth skin caught the last rays of sunlight peering through the window was a sight Bruce knew he'd never forget.

As Diana got comfortable with Bruce's presence inside her, she slowly ran her hands along his torso, tracing out and admiring every single scar, cut and blemish. She had never seen another man's body and she knew that no other man's body looked like this, and knowing this filled her with a profound sense of happiness and pride. She was his woman, and he was her man. There was no other match for them.

Diana slowly began rocking her hips around, exciting Bruce's member and eliciting low moans from him. Bruce sat himself upright and captured Diana's lips in an powerful kiss that became more intense as they both began to moved their lower halves.

Every muscle in their body was taut from passion and pent-up excitement that was progressively coming to a head as Bruce and Diana quickened their pace. They were now both covered in a thin layer of sweat. Their moans of pleasure grew louder, more intense. Their rhythm intensified, building and building, until they both let out a final, common cry of rapture as they came undone together. Bruce's seed flowed into Diana's occupied womb, as her walls clenched down on his member, draining every last drop of energy they'd both built up.

Heaving a long sigh, they both crumbled onto the mattress, now damp from sweat and other liquids born from their passionate intercourse. Diana shifted her body to drape it over Bruce's side, hooking her leg over his and her arm around his chest. He laid a soft kiss on her forehead as they lounged in the cooling aura of the rising moon. Pressed against his ribs, Bruce could feel their child kicking against Diana's belly. That thought filled Bruce with a pride that was beyond words.

Diana felt her eyes grow heavy as her final bits of energy dwindled away. She nestled her face in the crook of Bruce's shoulder and whispered:

"When you fell from the sky that day, I thought you were an angel."

Bruce tightened his hold around Diana and whispered back:

"I was a fallen angel, and you gave me my wings."

And with that, they drifted off to sleep, entrusting that Morpheus would reunite them in their dreams.

Many centuries later, the story of Batman, Wonder Woman and their relationship had grown as legendary as the Greek myths of old. From the far off reaches of space and time, to right here on Earth, their tale is one that every parent teaches to their children. And while certain details in their stories vary wildly depending on who tells it, they always begin it as so:

 _It started on Themyscira…_

…

…

…

…

 **THE END…**

 **We have reached the end of this story. No the end of the adventure, just of a story ;)**

 **I am contemplating adding another chapter after this one with a sort of alternate ending type thing… If that interests anybody, please let me know. Also, make sure to read till the very very end of this chapter where you might find something that start with T and ends in R ;-))))**

 **An enormous thank you to every single person who read, commented and favorited this story, from those who've been here since the start, to those who've just arrived. The reason I was able to take this story all the way to this point over the course of a whole year is thanks to YOUR support. YOU are the ones who kept me going every step of the way and for that, I cannot thank you enough.**

 **This is officially the longest fanfiction chapter I have ever written, and one of my personal favorites to work on. I spent 6h straight working on this, entering a vein of creativity that I kept tapping until I finished this chapter. It was amazing, and I'm about ready to go home now ;)**

 **I send my love to all of you and to all those who are thinking about pursuing writing or anything creative or even anything that strays off the beaten path: DO IT! FOR THE LOVE OF YOUR PASSION, DO IT! Failing at something you are passionate about is infinitely better than succeeding at something you despise. NO REGRETS, NO SURRENDER! Pursue it to the end of the line, and when the people who recommended you do something else come to tell you "I told you so", tell them to fuck off and go right back to work.**

" **Believe in your dreams, no matter how impossible they seem." – Walt Disney**

 **This is not "cliché" or "unrealistic". The people who believe that following your dreams is cliché have their head so far up the system's ass, they only things they dream about are dollar signs and promotions.**

 **I'd rather live like a peasant and dream like a king, than to live like a king and dream like a peasant.**

 **Love you all!**

Bruce was annoyed. He was romping around the Batcave, throwing equipment on the floor as he desperately searched for something. He didn't hear his faithful butler enter and heaving a sigh at seeing his careful organization and labeling all be rendered useless by his irate boss.

"Have you lost something, sir?" Alfred asked curtly.

Bruce let out a growl of anger as he emerged from where he was searching. He was shirtless and his entire body was dripping with sweat. Alfred looked up to the ceiling of the cave where he swore he could hear the bats getting restless, which he found strange. These bats had seen far more exciting things happen in this cave and never once had they been this affected.

"I can't find the damn weights for the machines," Bruce growled. "Where did you put them Alfred?"

The old butler twitched his nose at Bruce's tone before simply walked into the exercise room and examining the cabinet where all the different weight plates were kept.

"I have not moved them from where they always are, Master Bruce," Alfred said suspiciously. This entire interaction felt surreal to him. "What appears to be the problem?"

"The machine barely has any weight on it," Bruce complained, pointing to the bench press. "It feels like I'm lifting a feather."

Alfred approached the machine skeptically and took pause when he noticed that the bar was loaded with the maximum amount of plates it could hold. He observed the values on each one and took a step back to ponder.

"Would you please lift it for me, sir." Alfred said.

With a grunt, Bruce stepped up to the bunch, laid one hand on the bar and lifted it off its stand. He did a couple curls before setting it down on the floor.

"How do you explain that, Alfred?" Bruce asked in disbelief. "A one armed curl with a bench press bar?"

"Sir, that was 500kg of weights you just lifted with one hand." Alfred announced calmly.

Bruce paused for a second, eying Alfred as if expecting him to give up what the joke was.

"I assure you I am being completely serious," Alfred said. "If you wish I can call Tim down to confirm."

Bruce stayed silent. He kept his locked on the floor as he paced around the gym. After several seconds, he looked slowly to Alfred.

"When does Diana get home from Lesley's?" he asked.

"About an hour from now I wager, sir." Alfred replied after examining his pocket watch.

"As soon as she arrives, please ask her to come down here. We're going to pay a visit to her mother," Bruce said slowly. "I'm going to stay down here and run a few more tests."

"Any clue what could be happening to you, sir?" Alfred questioned.

"It's possible, Alfred…" Bruce spoke at a measured pace. "That I've become a meta."


End file.
